One Week
by VariousStories
Summary: The job paid well, it wasn't too dangerous and what work he did need to do was simple. It was easy, almost too easy, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. For once, he wish he did, because now he has a bunch of realistic animatronics trying to kill him one moment and then trying to be his friend the next. Bi-Polar robots. Lovely. [AU, FNAF-esque AU]
1. Prologue

**A/N: To all those wondering, yes, this IS a FNAF(Five Nights at Freddy's) style story. It is not a direct crossover due to me using a different location and a different plot, thus differentiating it from a crossover since the only thing they have in common is the style. Thus, it will be put in the 'RWBY' category and not in the crossover, so please don't recommend I put it in the crossover section.**

 **That said, let's move onto our protagonist; the ever lovable idiot with a hero complex, Jaune! What else did you expect? More than that, this will be my first story where I don't use a solid 10k words per chapter. I usually _require_ myself to write that much per chapter so as to make up for my usual long times between uploads (and subsequent _long_ hiatuses, thanks depression) but for once I'm not going with that route. Instead, I'm going to go with a more FNAF-esque route; this chapter is merely the set-up and prologue, the next will be night 1, then night 2, so on and so forth. This means that some chapters will be longer than others with varying times on upload.**

 **This is just a sort of side-project while I work on my upcoming main series, 'Chaotic Unity', a collection of disconnected stories compiled into a series - the first being 'Thornwire: A Song of Suffering', featuring our lovable weapons dork, Ruby! So if you're interested in a more darker tale with mystery and cold reality, then that's the story for you! Granted, it isn't published yet, since I want to get the whole story written before I do publish it. Either way, just check my profile every now and again if you are interested, I have a regularly-updated progress report of all stories, upcoming and published.**

 **TL;DR = Lets get into some sp00ky shit!**

 **I DONT OWN RWBY**

* * *

 _ **Prologue**_

* * *

Vale City. A beautiful city, one that dominated in the tourist industry, given the fact it was the capital of the country that went under the same name. The CCT (Cross-continental-transmit-system) stretched high into the sky in the very centre of the city, a spire even amongst the skyscrapers that surrounding it, dwarfing the office buildings that dare to try and take its throne as the highest building in Vale. It was a notable hotspot for both natives to the town and sight-seers, mainly due to it allowing - as the name implies - contact with other countries that went outside the range of mobile phones. Even the newest line of cellular devices, the Scroll, developed by the Schnee Device Company, were limited on range outside the country where the caller was.

Surrounding the CCT were high skyscrapers, mostly consisting of offices or luxury hotels with immaculate views and ludicrous prices, clearly meant for the wealthier travellers. Expensive restaurants and clothing stores lined the streets below, one or two parks thrown in to boost favourability. Soon the 'upper-class' district ended, flawlessly transitioning into the commercial district, filled with stores and shops of every single kind imaginable - take-away, toy store, grocery store, workshop, car dealerships - it didn't matter, Vale had it all. The stores eventually died down, spreading out into a clean array of streets that led to rows upon rows of houses or apartment blocks.

On the northern side of the city laid the industrial district, teeming with factories, warehouses and other old grey buildings. Unlike the rest of the city, the transition was neither smooth nor flawless, instead it was arguably a mass of grey with pillars of black smoke that simply existed to the north of Vale. Many people of the city claim to just not associate it with the city, that it was simply a different entity than the city they grew to love. It wasn't unsurprising, giving the undesirable state of environmentally-friendly machinery or buildings. The White Fang, an outspoken environmentalist group, had continuously drawn attention to the state of the industrial district, aggressively egging the government of the city to take action. The mayor of the city had promised to do things about it, but saying there was more pressing matters at hand, so it would be pushed down the priority list for now.

However the state of the city wasn't of particular interest as of now, instead the focus was closer to the centre of the city, bordering on the upper-class district, where a moderately good hospital stood proudly. Within its walls the nurses and doctors avidly went about their jobs, some moving languidly while others rushed about, barking orders for help with patients in the ICU.

Located within said ICU ward was one Jaune Arc, sitting at the bedside of his lone family member, Hazel Arc. While Jaune was a teen bordering on nineteen with messy blonde locks and stunning cobalt-blue eyes, Hazel was a skinny girl only recently surpassing her twelfth birthday, her blonde hair cut into an easily-manageable braid that rested over her shoulder and down her front. The similarities between the two siblings made it easier to draw the conclusion of brother and sister, and subsequently sympathy would be felt for the duo.

Hazel was attached to several machines Jaune didn't even understand the purpose for, yet didn't question their necessity. One he did understand was the heart monitor, steadily beeping as her heart did. Hazel was dressed in a simple hospital gown under her blankets, her cobalt eyes staring at the TV screen on the opposite wall with a gentle smile on her face. Jaune distractedly watched the cartoon he vaguely remembered from earlier life, but his focus was divided between that, his beloved sister, and his phone. It was an outdated piece of tech, yet still functioned well and meant he didn't have to buy a new Scroll. He couldn't afford to waste the money.

His phone beeped an alert and he barely repressed a sigh, instead disabling the notification and looking up at his sister, who's matching cobalt eyes were already staring at him in mild confusion and curiosity.

''I've got to run sis.'' Jaune murmured, a note of guilt to his tone.

Hazel merely smiled lightly, lightly punching his shoulder, ''Stop looking so down Jaune. Why though? You got a new job interview?''

''Yeah, in about an hour.'' He smiled in return, ''It's for a position as security guard in the industrial district. The pay is decent and the entry requirements are just my level.''

''Heh, big bro is going to be a _guard_.'' Hazel snickered cheekily, making Jaune flush slightly in embarrassment from the jab. After all, while he was in his teens and worked out every now and again, he couldn't be considered muscular or intimidating by any means.

He fixed her with a slight pout, ''That's just mean.''

''Aww, I'm sorry~'' Hazel sang cheerfully, pulling a cute smile and lifting Jaune's mock-pout. He chuckled lightly as he pushed himself out of his chair, picking up and putting his old but well-maintained coat on. He gave another smile at her and gave her a kiss on her forehead, ignoring her whine of 'bro~!' and her swatting hands.

''I'll see you later sis.'' He smiled.

Hazel huffed, smiling back, ''Bye Jaune, have fun!''

''You too sis.'' He replied, closing the hospital door behind him. Only once he was out of sight did he grimace, hands running through his empty pockets, lacking the change for a bus. The biting winds outside didn't look pleasant for a city-wide walk either.

He sighed.

Just another day.

* * *

Jaune arrived at the small office building shortly, and to his relief the howling winds had subsided halfway through his walk, allowing him to not only arrive quicker, it also meant he didn't have to walk across the city getting frozen by the wind alone. His double-checked the address to be sure, and once he was satisfied he wasn't about to walk in to the wrong place and make an idiot of himself, he walked in.

The small building was just on the border of the industrial district, the high chain-link fence bordering between the highway and greyscale district preventing anyone from entering unannounced, only being able to get through via the office he just entered. That said, it was surprisingly well furnished, with a smooth chestnut brown floor with beige walls. The room, while not particularly large, still had a homey feel to it, indicating someone might spend a lot of time here. A little under a dozen plain black chairs lined the left and right walls, a desk situated at the wall opposite of the door.

Behind the desk was, to Jaune, a startling beautiful woman. Dark skin contrasted with her lime green hair and sharp crimson eyes, staring intently at the magazine in her hands. She wore a long-sleeved light blue shirt with a dark navy blue vest over it, a gold badge on it indicating her being a guard. She looked to be around his age, possibly a couple years older but still close to his age. She hadn't noticed him yet, so immediately the first thing that came to Jaune's mind was something he'd tried a thousand times prior.

Flirting.

''Hey beautiful.'' Jaune 'smoothly' stated, leaning up against the counter with a faux-suave smirk, ''I couldn't help but notice you're here all by you're lonesome... I think you could use some company.''

Crimson eyes flickered up to his cobalt ones, disinterest in them clear as day. ''If you aren't here for a reason, get out before I call the cops for harassment.''

 _'Damn... shot down in five seconds flat.'_ Jaune winced, chuckling awkwardly as his demeanour broke entirely, ''Eheh, sorry... I'm here for an interview to be a guard?''

''Oh? You the guy?'' The thus-nameless girl said with mild surprise, looking him up and down briefly before gesturing lazily to the door next to the desk, ''The boss is in there. Oh, and don't flirt with her.''

He winced, but said nothing.

The door was an appealing oak colour, a rectangle of glass allowing him to see the even more beautiful woman that sat behind the desk. Long black hair that fell over her shoulder and smouldering orange eyes like flames, lazily reading over what looked to be like reports. Clad in a black business suit that hugged her figure quite nicely, she looked outright stunning to the point he had to resist simply standing there and staring with a slack jaw. Before he could do that however the elegant woman looked up, sent him a smirk and gestured him inside, then returned to her work.

''I presume you are here for the interview?'' She asked the very second he opened the door, leaving Jaune slightly surprised by the arguably accurate assumption.

He didn't let his surprise show though. ''Yeah, I'm Jaune Arc, Miss...?''

''Cinder Fall.'' Cinder smiled, holding out a hand for him to shake. He did so, mentally surprised by how soft her hands were, not even mentioning how velvety her voice sounded. ''I'll be you're direct superior in this partnership, if you take the job that is.''

As she sat down, she continued, ''I'll cut straight to the chase; the old guard who worked under me unfortunately quit after health issues became a problem for him, heart issues if I remember correctly. The job of being the guard will have you stationed within an old academy building on the far side of the industrial complex, closer to the shore than the highway. You'll have control over the building's control systems, those being the cameras for viewing purposes, the steel doors encase you feel the need to lock down part of the building, along with various other security measures.''

''Of course, due to the head of the company being quite strict on power consumption, you have a limited amount of power you can use. It is more than enough to get through a night, however the generator itself is in need of maintenance and the crew won't be down until next week, so you'll have to deal with things as they come. On the subject of your safety as a guard, there isn't much of a threat to yourself. You are merely there to watch and observe to prevent anyone from attempting to break into the building, and in the event they do you are to alert the guard in this building, Emerald, who in turn will call the police. I must stress that you are in no situation recommended to confront any potential thieves for your own safety. Best leave it to the professionals.''

''Your shift will last from midnight to six in the morning, where you allowed to leave your post and clock out at this building. Be sure to do that, otherwise it won't count towards your pay. On the subject, you'll be paid 50L _per night_ , although you'll be given pay on a weekly basis, totalling up to 350L per week.''

Jaune's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at that. Any previous jobs he'd managed to secure didn't even pay a fragment of that much, and most of the time it was on a monthly basis. Part of him was curious as to why it was such a high-paying job when pretty much anyone could do it, but dismissed it under the notion of it being a more dangerous job - on account of potential burglars. With this amount of money he could easily afford to pay the hospital bills his sister so desperately needed.

A small stack of papers were planted in front of him, breaking him from his thoughts. ''Here are the legal papers. It is mostly standard legal stuff, however the first three pages are the ones that require signatures. Take your time.''

Cinder handed him a pen and he took it, quickly writing his signature down where it was needed. He briefly looked over the contents of the papers, but most of it was - as Cinder said - legal stuff, such as him understanding the nature of his job, his requirement to work the mandatory six hours, etc. Only when he got to the third and final page did he pause, staring at the last place where his signature was required.

''Um... 'In light of recent hiring methods, if you sign this and become a guard for the specified complex you will be legally required to attend a mandatory seven days of work before you may pursue any options of quitting'...?'' Jaune read aloud, staring at Cinder in mild confusion.

She merely smiled, ''Ah, that. It's a recent implementation of the company due to some hires only working a few days before leaving, most of them apparently using the job for quick cash. This rule is just to ensure that you actually intend on having this job, and not just using it to get quick cash and bail. The whole 'legally-required' part makes it more... secure.''

''Ah.'' He nodded in understanding, swiftly writing his signature on it and pushing the papers back at Cinder. She took them, briefly scanned over them to be sure, then put them down and flashed him a beautiful smile.

''Welcome to the job, Mr. Arc. Are you prepared to work tonight?''

He nodded, ''Yeah, I can make tonight.''

Cinder grinned, ''Great, I shall give you a tour then. I think you'll find the job simply...''

''...Delightful.''

* * *

Jaune followed after his new boss, exiting out of the building as the sun dipped in the horizon, casting long shadows across the buildings. They passed several buildings and warehouses of various size and shapes, all in moderate states of care while others seemed a bit more unstable, arguably decrepit. Soon however they arrived at the building, according to Cinder. It certainly looked old, with a large square-shaped building joined onto a smaller, rectangular building that ran adjacent to the main building, what looked to once be a tower behind it, only for it to have been cut off halfway, leaving a broken stump that had been forcibly covered with concrete, leaving an ugly wound on the building.

They walked around the building, the walls showing they were once pristine and bright, but had fallen to the wear and tear of time and faded to nothing but bland concrete. Now that he took a better look, he could see where some parts of the building might've once been small ridges or design patterns, but now was indistinguishable from the many cracks and holes on the building. The two eventually came around to the entrance, a pair of heavy metal doors closed, no keyhole or keypad visible.

''As you can see, the exterior isn't in the best of states. I can assure you however the inside is slightly more appealing to the eye. The main entrance doors will only open at 12AM and 6AM, allowing you to enter and exit at those times. I must enforce that you do not dawdle, as they only stay open for five minutes before they close again. In the event they do close and you are unable to get out then contact Emerald via the tablet that you will be using.''

She shook her head, ''Regardless, let's go inside.''

Cinder pulled out a remote from her pocket, aiming it at the metal doors and pushing a big red button on the remote. The doors groaned briefly in protest before they swung open outwards, revealing the interior of the room as they entered. It was more spacious than he originally expected, closest to the size of a hotel lobby. The floor was covered with a burgundy carpet, the edges by the walls being gold. The walls, while slightly faded, still retained its original ivory colour and helped him see in the darkness. The duo of Cinder and Jaune walked into the centre of the room, the air more musky than outside.

''This is the main lobby. Ahead of us are the two staircases that lead to the student dorms, and behind us leads to the security office. To our right that hallway leads to the cafeteria, the double doors to our left lead to the library and the door between the staircases ahead of us used to lead up to the tower. Before it collapsed, of course, so now it's blocked off entirely.'' Cinder explained, smoothly gesturing around them.

It was true to her word. When they were stood in the centre and facing to the left of the door, they faced the 'front' wall. A pair of metal elevator doors stood there, rust visible on them, the white painted flaking away to show the grey metal underneath. On the far left and far right of the wall was a pair of wide staircases, the burgundy carpet trailing up them without the slightest sign of wear and tear, odd compared to the rest of the room. The hallway to the right was wide enough to fit a car and twice as tall as one, leading down into a large room filled with tables. The two corridors on the back wall (the wall to the right of the entry doors) led down identically, both having little-to-no features about them aside from the same burgundy carpet and ivory wallpaper, although there was some boxes and stuff. The doors to the library were closed, the old wood showing signs of rotting from time alone.

''Here is the security room.'' Cinder announced once they reached the end of the hallway. The security room in question wasn't too big, probably only a little bigger than a bathroom with a doorframe on both the left and the right side, a small fan built into the wall, currently off. Below the fan was a small desk built into the wall, bearing several old monitors that clearly didn't work. The thing that drew his attention though was the modern SDC-brand tablet and a flashlight. Cinder picked up the tablet, turning it on via the power button on the side. She flicked through what looked like a set-up system, throwing the mouse around with practiced skill before handing it to Jaune.

''Here is your tablet. From here you are able to flick through the cameras in the entire building, along with lock down the doors on either side of us if you need to. You can also activate the lights in various parts of the building if you need to, oh and the generator is located in the utility tunnel.''

Jaune blinked, ''Steam tunnel?''

''Mm. It's the first door on the right in Hall B, the hallway that connects the cafeteria and the lobby. I don't know why an _academy_ has a _utility tunnel_ , but my guess is that someone tried to modernise the building but gave up five minutes into the project.'' Cinder shrugged, ''There isn't much danger to you in there, although I would advise being cautious around the pipes just encase they burst. Regardless, the door to the utility tunnel is locked by default, so if the generator starts to fail you'll have to unlock it via the tablet before entering. In the event the power goes off suddenly, the door will unlock automatically, so you'll just have to pull it open.''

''Across from it is the bathrooms, although the camera in there is disabled for reasons that should be obvious, although you'll still have audio. The hallway to the right of the security room is Hall A2, while the one on the left is Hall A1. Ahead of that is the Lobby, where it branches off to Stairway A1 and Stairway A2, the left and right respectively, the Library and Hall B as mentioned prior, which in turn leads to the Cafeteria, the bathroom and the Steam Tunnel.'' Cinder explained at length, ''Stairway A1 leads to Hall C1, which connects to several empty rooms meant to be bedrooms. The same goes for Stairway A2, which leads to Hall C2 that connects to several bedrooms also. They're mostly unoccupied-''

'' _Mostly_?'' Jaune interrupted incredulously.

Cinder blinked, as if surprised by his interruption, before continuing, ''Yes, there are some animatronics from a while ago. I believe these were test models made prior to the animatronics you now see in stores and at parties. However they are deactivated, so don't worry about them.''

Jaune checked through the tablet as Cinder continued, and true to her word, there was. The two Hall C's branched off into four bedrooms apiece, with B1-1 being the one to the back left, B1-3 to the back right, B1-2 to the front left and B1-4 to the front right. On the right hallway, it was the same, although the codenames were changed from 'B1-number' to 'B2-number'. B1-1, B1-4, B2-1, B2-2 and B2-4 were empty bedrooms that looked to have a thick layer of dust in them.

B1-2 however had an animatronic in it. It was surprisingly detailed and realistic, being female with what he could admit was a stunning body, with bright crimson hair done up in a high ponytail behind her, held up by a small crown of gold. She was dressed in what looked like Spartan armour, with gauntlets, metal corset and golden headpiece. Emerald eyes were dull, but if they had been real he could foresee them being as close to a genuine emerald as possible.

B1-3 had a short girl with messy orange hair and teal eyes, a slightly unnerving grin plastered permanently on her face. Her white shirt and pink skirt went well together, the shirt having a small heart shape cut out in it, allowing the slightest view of her impressive cleavage. While the red-head had been sat leaning against the wall like a broken, despondent toy, the redhead was sat on a bed, hands forward and her body leaning forward slightly, as if she was leaning closer.

B2-3, compared to the last two, was packed full. Four female animatronics were present, each having a starkly different colour scheme. The first looked younger than the rest, dressed in a gothic-lolita dress with a long red hooded cape behind her. Her eyes were a rare silver colour, still shining bright despite the dull nature that came with being powered down. She had a slight smile on her face as she sat on her bed, knees brought up to her chest and head resting on her knees, eyes staring endlessly ahead.

On the bed above her - suspended by _ropes_ \- was a pale-skinned animatronic with platinum blonde hair and icy blue eyes, a single scar running down the side of her face. She looked almost like a porcelain doll, dressed up in an equally pale white skirt and bolero jacket. It was... very princess-like, helped with how she laid down on the bed with her eyes staring at the ceiling, yet her facial expression relaxed, like sleeping beauty. The bed didn't even seem bothered that a metal person was laying on it, meaning those ropes must be pretty damn tough.

The third animatronic was more brightly colour, with a mass of blonde hair left out behind her without a care, yet somehow still appearing well cared for. Her lilac eyes were dull yet still seemed to have a spark of life in them, like an excitable child faking sleep. Unlike the other two, the blonde wore much more revealing clothing, being a yellow top that strained to hold her large bust, a tan jacket and a pair of black booty shorts. It didn't fit with the whole 'academy' thing, then again none of them did. She was lying down on the bed, her hands behind her head and a cocky grin on her face, eyes staring at the bottom of the bed hanging above.

The fourth and final one was situated on a bed suspended up by _books_ for gods sakes. The girl seemed to embody 'cool beauty', with a look of mild interest on her face as she lied on her bed, slightly upright as she read a book in her unmoving hands. Her golden eyes seemed to shine in the darkness, her black hair nearly absorbing what little light existed in the room. Her clothing was neither revealing nor conservative, instead reaching a middle ground with its monochrome style, hugging her robotic body tightly.

Jaune flickered through the other cameras; Lobby giving a view of the whole lobby, Hall A1 and Hall A2 providing a view straight down the halls, Stairway A1 and A2 didn't give much of a view, only of the stairs themselves, coincidentally out of view from the Lobby camera. Hall C1 and C2 gave a view straight down the halls, with each of the bedroom cameras giving a view from the corner of the room to cover maximum viewing area. Hall B was mounted in the left corner with its back facing the Lobby, giving a view straight down the hall while also giving a view of the heavy metal door that lead to the utility tunnel - or as it was marked on the camera, Steam Tunnel. Across from it was the bathroom that Cinder mentioned, although it was labelled as 'Audio Only', probably for the best.

There was a camera inside the tunnel, although it was hard to make out much due to the extremely poor lighting, only visible because of faint red lights spaced out just enough for viewing purposes but not helping for detailed analysis. Cafeteria was positioned high up, giving the perfect view of the entire room, showing the dozens of empty lunch tables that made the place just feel even more empty. When he flicked to the adjoined kitchen however he was greeted by two other animatronics, both also female and in their teens.

The first could only be described as 'fashionista', with a brown and black colour scheme. Her attire clearly wasn't meant to be worn in the kitchen, given it looked to be worth several hundred Lien alone. Her hair was brown in colour, fading down into an orange tip. Sunglasses hid her eyes partially but the brown colour underneath was still visible. She was stood before one of the counters, one hand on the worktop and the other on her hip. The other girl had long brown hair that fell all the way down to her waist, chocolate brown eyes and an expression of deep thought on her face. Her outfit was... strange, to say the least, although it looks like some of the inspiration came from the other girl given the colour scheme. The definitive feature of the second girl however was the pair of near-realistic bunny ears that sat on her head, as if they grew out of her very skin.

What a weird, weird academy.

''...and that seems to be about it.'' Cinder finished, drawing Jaune's attention as he cursed himself for spacing out, ''Its nearing midnight, so I'll leave you with your new job. Keep an eye on the cameras and use the building's maintenance systems if you really find the need to. To quote a certain little girl I used to know...''

 _ **''Welcome to Beacon.''**_

* * *

 **A/N: BAM! A pretty long prologue, but that's the set-up for the rest of the nights. There'll be a bit of interlude between nights to focus briefly on Jaune's thoughts and his interactions with his sister Hazel, but the main focus will be on his work at the Academy.**

 **I didn't write them in detail due to not wanting the prologue to be even longer than necessary, but all the animatronics are wearing their combat outfits. Also, encase my descriptions were piss-poor, here's who was revealed to be here; Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Pyrrha, Nora, Coco and Velvet. Will there be others? We'll see.**

 **Also, did anyone get the quote at the end there? :P**

 **I hope that my description of the layout of the place was at least partially understandable. I might draw the map in paint or something stupid like that. Other than that, I want to ask which you guys would prefer for the story to be oriented on: horror(meaning little character relations, just spooky horror and tense situations), humour(tense moments broken by something the character says or does, or just a collection of fuck-ups for laughs), mystery(an overarching mystery and plot that leaves Jaune to find out the source), or romance(genuine character developments and eventual emotional attachments, almost guaranteed for it to be a 'harem' though. God do I hate that term.)**

 **Next update: will depend on when I finish (Since I have no set word threshold to reach) and also depends on what you, the readers, would prefer to see.**

 **R** **egardless, until next time~!**


	2. Night One

**A/N: Next chapter here we are! Wasn't as short as I had feared, clocking in at 5.4k words. Either way, I hope you enjoy Jaune's first night at Beacon!**

 **I DONT OWN RWBY**

* * *

 _ **Night One**_

* * *

The air in the security room progressively got less and less dusty as time went on, courtesy of Jaune turning on the ventilation system. The dull humming was a soothing melody to his nerves, letting him calmly flick through the cameras to view the entire academy building. The cameras were actually pretty decent in quality unlike the ones you saw in movies, where everything was all low resolution and static-filled. However because of the low lighting, there wasn't much to look at.

His watch beeped for the second time as it reached one in the morning, making him sigh lightly as he rested the tablet on his lap. A full hour had gone by of him simply sitting in his chair, staring at the screens to the point his eyes started to hurt. Thankfully he wasn't locked in pitch-black darkness due to the lone light that hung above him, but it still wasn't preferable for his eyes to stare at a screen for hours on end. He rubbed a hand over his face, muffling his groan as he arched his back, getting several satisfying pops.

''Maybe... I can wander around a bit?'' He mumbled to himself uncertainly. Cinder had said he wasn't to leave the building until six in the morning... but she didn't say he needed to remain in the security room. Maybe because she expected him to eventually want to walk around and maybe have a look at the animatronics up-close. It wasn't... overly appealing, but he couldn't deny he was curious about them and wouldn't mind a closer look. With that idea in mind he pushed himself out of his seat and picked up his flashlight in his right while holding the tablet in his left, careful not to drop it.

Instantly after leaving the security room the temperature difference became noticeable, with the air becoming slightly chilly. He peeked back inside and noticed a radiator mounted on the wall behind his chair, which he hadn't noticed before. Good thing he did though, otherwise he could've fallen and bashed his head on it, which definitely wouldn't be good. That information in mind he nudged his seat forward a little bit before leaving the office, instead making his way down Hall A2. The clean burgundy carpet muffled his footsteps slightly, making them nothing more than soft pats as he walked. He paused briefly to look inside the boxes, only to find the majority of them to be sealed tight or for them to be empty. They weren't much bigger than an old-fashioned box television, so there couldn't be anything very big in there anyway.

He shivered slightly as he entered the near-barren lobby. The temperature was even chillier due to the expansive nature of the room, several lights hanging overhead but all turned off, one of them even had the bulb broken. The corners of the rooms had small piles of boxes in them, all also sealed or empty. Seeing nothing of interest in the lobby, he moved into Hallway B. The wooden door to the bathroom was closed and upon opening it was met with pure darkness, the air downright freezing, prompting him to close it with haste. The utility tunnel door was quite imposing when you looked at it - eight feet tall and of pure black steel with hints of grey on it. Just by touching it he could feel the cold straight down to his bones, like an arctic winter.

Much like the lobby, the second he entered the cafeteria he could immediately feel the difference in temperature. It wasn't helped that the cafeteria had high windows, several of them shattered and letting the howling winds come in. He didn't understand why they were broken, since nobody would be able to climb in unless they had a two-storey step-ladder to just get in, not even counting the landing method. Maybe he should notify Cinder of that tomorrow? He considered it before putting the idea on hold - he couldn't tell her right now, after all. The tables were grey in colour with red plastic seats attached on, periodically spread out throughout the room. The kitchen was adjoined onto the cafeteria, a small silver wall acting as a barrier, probably where food was placed for the student's selection if the small box-shaped gaps were anything to go by.

He entered the kitchen, pushing the plastic door open, the quiet bang it made when it hit the wall startling him slightly. He watched it swing closed behind him, barely visible without directing his flashlight directly on it. His eyes were adjusting to the darkness gradually, so combined with the white plastic and dusty silver of the kitchen it wasn't overly difficult to see, even if only a few feet ahead of him. The kitchen, while rectangular in shape with ovens, worktops and other cooking utilities lined the walls the centre was obscured by a wall. His footsteps echoed as he walked, the carpet no longer present to soften them as he explored the old kitchen. As he expected most of the cupboards were empty and what was still there was long since expired, even the canned food had expired nearly five years prior.

As he turned around to explore the other side of the kitchen, he flinched as he caught sight of the two animatronics he saw on the camera, the bunny and the fashionista. Both were still in the same positions as he had expected, but it was still slightly unnerving to see them up close. Yet despite being unnerved, his curiosity got the better of him and approached, moving towards the bunny first, the tablet coming to rest on the countertop. He shined the light on her, but instead of the light shining off of her, it reacted like as if her skin was genuine skin. Her hands were by her sides, so with growing curiosity he reached out and gently touched her bare hand.

He released a sigh of relief when the animatronic didn't suddenly turn on and react. Call it what you will, but he was curious. Her hand felt surprisingly soft, not to mention it felt genuinely real and not mechanical with faux-skin over it. He poked her cheek, gently caressing her face with his free hand. It felt so real - he could almost feel the bones underneath, her cheeks depressing inwards if he pushed lightly on them, her nose able to be pinched lightly. The one thing that defined her from not being human though was that her eyes didn't dilate when he shined a light into her eyes, something that he was silently relieved for. He lowered his hand to pick up his tablet-

 _CLANG!_

His heart leapt out of his chest and he very nearly jumped into the air when the sudden clang of metal reached his ears. His head snapped around, the flashlight sporadically flickering around the whole of the area behind him. His eyes quickly locked onto an old scoop spoon laying on the floor, rocking gently back and forth on the tile floor. He relaxed at that, taking several deep breaths to calm down before he reluctantly turned his eyes back to the bunny-girl. Something soft under his hands drew his attention before his face lit up bright crimson, his hand having fallen and grasped her modest chest in his panic. The machine hadn't given any response to the action, yet he had a feeling had it been a real person he'd be getting slapped, _hard_.

 _'...it's so soft...'_ The thought came to him, his blush only darkening as he retracted his hand, mentally slapping himself, _'Bad Jaune! If anyone saw that they'd think you were a pervert!'_

Jaune raised his gaze up to the unseeing eyes of the machine, awkwardly smiling at it, ''Eheh... sorry.''

 _'Great, now I'm talking to an inanimate object... robot... whatever.'_ The higher part of his brain deadpanned.

He sighed, conceding to that as he walked past the bunny-eared robot. He paused in front of the other robot, briefly but much more hesitantly examining her - making sure to keep _well_ away from her chest. However his embarrassment faded as his curiosity came back, the oddly realistic nature of the animatronics surprising him. Most places that had animatronics were either of animals or, like these ones, of people - but the thing was they weren't nearly as realistic. Maybe because those were cheaper ones, with only the appearance of a person instead of the feel of a person.

Exploration of the kitchen down, he quietly made his exit, the glowing circle of light from his flashlight alerting him of anything he might trip over. As he re-entered Hall B his footfalls softened in noise and the air quickly became warmer by a few degrees. Of course the temperature dropped back down as he entered the spacious lobby, but he ignored the varying temperatures and went up the stairs on the right, finding himself in a moderately long hallway, two doors on each side. If he recalled the four animatronics were in the far right door while the others were empty, so he headed towards it. However he paused outside the door, a shiver going up his spine as he heard a quiet, almost inaudible creak that wasn't made from his own footsteps. Hesitantly, he raised his tablet and flicked to the bedroom cam.

He froze.

The red-and-black one was no longer sitting on the bed, but was instead stood ramrod-straight _directly in front of the door_ , staring at it with an impossibly wide smile and an intense gaze. Instantly the 'flight-or-fight' blinkers in his head went blaring off, and he didn't even hesitate before turning and flat out bolting it away from the door. Any semblance of soft footfalls were abandoned completely, the fast thudding of his steps echoing around him as he pushed himself to his limit, taking three steps at a time down the stairs and covering the length of the lobby in a handful of seconds, throwing himself down the corridor and very nearly diving into his office. His hands frantically yanked the tablet up to eye-level and he flicked to the systems tab, immediately activating the security doors. Two heavy yet sleek metal doors fell down in either doorway with a loud slam, separating him from the rest of the building.

Jaune laid on the floor, panting and eyes wide, the mental image of the animatronic _standing away from its original position_ doing nothing to calm him down. However it was the realisation that it indeed did move that prompted him to pull up his tablet, flicking through the camera back to B2-3, only to his horror to find the wooden door wide open, gently rocking back and forth. He flicked through the cameras - lobby, Hall A1 and A2, Stairway 2 and then ending on Hall C2 where he found her. The nameless animatronic stood in the middle of the hall, completely unmoving with her wide smile still stuck on her face, her head tilting to stare straight into the camera, silver eyes glowing brightly in the darkness.

He didn't dare take his eyes off of her, to move the camera off of her and give her the chance to move without him knowing. So he didn't, instead he just stared. One minute turned into two, then to three, then to ten. Soon he noted that his power consumption was fairly high, so he reluctantly open his doors again to reduce the cost. The black-and-red girl didn't move, yet he wasn't willing to look away after what he'd already seen.

He was brought out of his thoughts as he heard his watch beep, the digital clock switching over to two in the morning surprisingly fast. He nearly sighed in relief, but before he could a near-deafening _BANG_ echoed throughout the building, startling him and nearly making him drop the tablet in surprise. Immediately he noticed something was wrong - the gothic-lolita-clad girl had turned her head to her right, as if she had heard something in that direction. He flicked through the cameras, paying no more than a second to each camera before he moved on. He stopped when he reached Hall C1, where he found something that certainly wasn't meant to be there.

The ginger girl he had seen before in the bedroom B1-3, the top-right room on the left hall. The door was swinging off its hinges as the robot girl stood in the middle of the hall, but unlike the red-and-black one, she wasn't completely still while the camera was on her. Instead, she _turned towards the camera_ with a look of childish mischief on her face, and _winked_.

 _'...I'm not seeing things, am I?'_ He deadpanned, _'Nope, yep, she just winked at me. A fucking robot just winked at me.'_

However he was broken out of his state when, mere moments after the animatronic winking at him, she suddenly _bolted_. He expected her to move slowly, but no - she borderline broke out into a sprint. He flicked the camera to the lobby, only to realise she was halfway across it. Instantly he flicked to the systems panel, activating the power to the left door, and not a moment too soon. Less than a second later a loud _THUD_ hit the door, matched with a scarily realistic cry of pain from the person who hit the door. He turned on the camera for the hall outside, and true to what he expected the ginger-haired animatronic was sat on her rear, rubbing his head from where she had ran into the door.

''Why'd you do that?'' The animatronic whined, her voice as real as a normal person.

Jaune nervously glanced out the other door, keeping an eye out encase she tries to flank. ''Well... uh, you... scared me?''

There was silence for a long moment, before the a surprisingly sad reply came, ''Oh... I'm sorry.''

Silence fell again, although this time it was awkward. Any surprise or fear he had previously felt was now at the back of his mind, instead his social awkwardness shining through as he tried to find something to say. Idly he pulled up his camera again, flicking through to see if any other animatronics decided to go walk-about. The fashionista and the bunny were still in the kitchen, the crimson Spartan was still in the same position and the other three in B2-3 were still in the same positions. However the gothic lolita girl was gone from the hall... and _every other camera_. He even checked the utility tunnel and listened to the audio from the bathroom, but he couldn't find her.

That was unsettling.

''Um...'' He spoke up, looking down the open hallway nervously, ''Do you, like, have a name I can call you, or...?''

''Nora.'' The ginger animatronic sounded... elated? ''What about you, Mr. Jumpy Guard?''

''Jaune Arc.'' He smiled, honestly considering opening the door... although the creepy smile the gothic one had given him wasn't too enticing, since Nora might just be trying to get him to open the door. Speaking of which... ''What's the name of the gothic girl, by the way? Wears red and black, has silver eyes a big smile?''

''Oh, Ruby?'' Nora cheered happily, ''She's the most active of all of us! She just has endless energy, but her wiring gets a bit weird when she first wakes up. She's waiting to meet you too!''

''She seems a little... scary.''

''Ruby? Nah~! She just likes to smile a lot! Isn't that right Ruby?''

Jaune froze as a pair of soft arms suddenly wrapped around his neck, a weight suddenly pressing down on his back and soft breathing brushing against his ear. He turned slowly, almost reluctant to even move lest he face death. His cobalt eyes met silver ones, a face-splitting grin plastered onto her face that made her look equal parts cute and terrifying.

''Hi~''

He did the only thing he could do in this situation.

He fainted.

* * *

The first thing that Jaune heard was the dull humming of the ventilation system, followed by feeling the blinding light of the overhead light burn through his eyelids. Reluctantly he opened his eyes, raising a hand to cover them as he pushed himself up. He took a glance around himself and immediately registered several things; firstly he was sat in his chair, secondly his tablet was in the hands of Ruby and thirdly the animatronic was currently in his room, sat in the doorway.

Did he mention the animatronic was sitting in his office?

He didn't dare move, lest he attract her attention and result in his own death. However she seemed to have notice him wake up somehow, her head rising as she faced him. The wild smile was no longer present, instead an almost nervous yet apologetic smile was on her face, looking more like a little kid than a machine.

''Um... hi.'' Ruby smiled awkwardly at him, ''Sorry about scaring you...''

''It's... fine?'' Jaune said hesitantly, his response only making Ruby laugh nervously. It was very human-like, and that was what was unnerving to him about it. Cinder had said they were old deactivated animatronics, yet here they were acting like real human beings. He was just surprised he hadn't made a complete fool of himself. Well, that and that they hadn't slaughtered him over it.

''Yeah...'' She mumbled, looking away, ''I didn't mean to be all... um...''

''Creepy and psycho?''

She winced, ''Yeah... my programming makes me do that, until I can break through it that is.''

''Break through your programming?'' He asked in confusion, ''What do you mean?''

''Well, we're programmed to do certain things and we can't really control our reactions or facial expressions. I-I can't explain it very well but the best way I can is... like I _really_ wanted to come to the office, a-and nothing else mattered as long as I made you afraid... I just wanted to see you scared. It's... weird.'' She explained, stuttering several times and pausing frequently.

Jaune frowned, ''That... sounds messed up.''

''Yeah. It's your first night so I got to break out of my programming pretty easily, but each day it'll get harder and harder, so like... _don't_ let me near you, okay?'' Ruby practically pleaded, ''I don't want to hurt you.''

Jaune silently nodded, gulping slightly. While the friendly Nora and now-friendly Ruby was a pleasant surprise, the possibility of them wanting to _hurt_ him... wasn't very nice. He took her warning to heart, mentally noting it down. Despite the ominous warning, he couldn't help but ask other questions.

''So uh... what's it like being an animatronic?''

''Horrible.'' She stated with shocking venom, her fists clenching at her skirt, ''We have to stay in this dusty old building for days on end until a new guard appears, then we go through the same routine before either the guard _dies_ or he leaves by the end of the week.''

...

...

''Oh...'' Was all that came from his mouth. What else could he say? Thankfully, he found something better to switch the conversation to, ''Where's Nora anyway?''

''Still here Jaune!'' Nora's voice came from the other side of the door.

He jumped slightly, looking at the door in surprise, ''Uh... Nora?''

''Yes?''

''Why are you still... y'know, on the other side of the door?'' He asked in bemusement.

He got a giggle in return, ''Well you said you didn't want me to scare you, so I'm waiting out here until you decide to let me in!''

 _'That's... surprisingly considerate.'_ Jaune blinked, not having expected her to actually wait for him. With only the slightest amount of hesitance he opened the door, revealing Nora sitting with her legs crossed, looking like a little kid. Her eyes lit up happily when she saw him, scooting into the room with a smile on her face, sitting next to Ruby and both staring up at him cutely, like a pair of kindergarteners staring up at their teacher.

''So... uh... are any of the others that will be trying to hurt me?'' He asked the duo, who nodded to his worry.

Ruby was the one to speak, ''Weiss is up, but her programming doesn't _ever_ wear off... so don't let her near you, alright? She's the one in white that lives in my dorm.''

''Got it.'' He nodded, noting that down, ''What about the others?''

''They won't be active until later nights.'' Ruby replied, rocking slightly. He was silently thankful for that - what had happened so far was equal parts terrifying and unusual, so having to deal with only Ruby, Nora and Weiss was a relief. Idly, he began to flick through the cameras until he found the white-clad girl. Unlike Ruby or Nora, she didn't have a creepy grin on her face, instead stood in the centre of the lobby with a stoic expression, staring coldly into the camera, unmoving.

''How many of you guys are there?'' He asked quietly, ready to close the doors when needed.

However, he didn't get a response. After a few seconds of only the dull thrum of the fan for noise, he raised his head from the camera to look at the two animatronic. To his surprise he saw Nora with a look of heavy reluctance and slight guilt, and Ruby with a haunted look in her eyes. The change was so sudden it floored him, the prospect of Weiss coming to his office momentarily forgotten. When one of them spoke, it was Nora who did.

''...We can't tell you.''

He blinked, hesitantly replying, ''Why?''

''Because bad things happen if we do.'' Ruby responded quietly, suddenly pushing herself to her feet. Without another word she just suddenly walked out - not stormed, not ran, not trudged - just walked calmly away like nothing happened. Jaune turned his gaze onto Nora, who was staring out the door Ruby had left through with a sombre expression. She met his eyes a moment later, sombreness quickly being replaced by repressed sadness, a faint smile coming to her lips.

''Sorry... she doesn't like remembering it.''

''I-It's fine, I probably shouldn't have asked.'' Jaune wondered internally, while externally just shook his head, _'It? What is 'it'?'_

Before he could ponder what 'it' could be, however, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye before a sudden weight landed on his lap. Jaune's cheeks turned red as he realised only a moment later that the weight was Nora, and said weight wasn't actually that heavy for an animatronic - she was only a little heavier than his sister, and that spoke volumes of how light she was. Despite the limited space on the chair Nora seemed to be determined to get comfy, completely unaware that gave him the perfect view of her chest. Either uncaring of the embarrassing position or intentional, Nora just gave a wide smile full of good-natured mischief.

''Uh... Nora?''

''Mm?'' The animatronic hummed questioningly.

''Why are you, y'know...'' He trailed off, gesturing randomly.

''You're comfy.'' She smiled, lying against him as her eyes drifted to the tablet, ''Ooh~ Weissy is on the move~''

Immediately his eyes went to the tablet, and true to her word Weiss was moving in a slow but elegant walk towards Hallway A1, the one to the left side of the office. He didn't take any chances, switching to the systems panel and closing the right door. Weiss didn't stop walking, even though she clearly noticed the closed door judging from how her eyes flickered to it before staring straight ahead again. She came to a stop in front of the door, briefly trying to walk through the door, only for the laws of the universe to register and her lithe frame to lightly bash against the frame, as if testing its existence.

''Let me in.'' Weiss stated, voice chilly. Not cruel, but just frosty, like you just pissed her off.

''Don't.'' Nora whispered in his ear in response.

Jaune took her words to heart, remaining silent as Weiss repeated the command in varying tones and rapping her knuckles on the metal harshly. Several minutes passed, Nora and Jaune remaining silent as they sat in the swivel chair, waiting. It must've become apparent to Weiss that the door was not opening no matter what she said, so she gave a quiet huff and turned on her heel, storming away. Jaune watched from the cameras the whole way, watching her enter the lobby, then cross over to the library. The old wooden doors squeaked as she pushed them open and silently entered, briefly throwing a glare over her shoulder towards the camera before she disappeared within. Unfortunately for Jaune, there was no camera in the library, thus no way to track her.

After re-opening the door his attention was grabbed by two things; the first was his power level at a reasonable 70% and the second was that his watch beeped over to five in the morning, something that surprised him given it wasn't even three last he remembered. Time must've flown when he was out. He checked around on the other animatronics but they were all in their normal locations, sans Ruby who was alone in B2-4, sitting on a dusty old bed and staring at the wall blankly.

Nora interrupted his thoughts, ''She knows you're sorry, she just needs time.''

''If you say so.'' He murmured, adjusting his position slightly and looking Nora in the eyes, ''Tell her I'm sorry though, alright?''

''Aye-aye captain!'' She nodded resolutely, saluting for emphasis to his amusement.

His eyes went back to the tablet as they fell into an admittedly comfortable silence, the last hour of his shift ticking by quickly. Every so often he'd glance at the time, seeing the minutes fly by. Ruby remained in her spot for the majority of the night and Weiss didn't leave the library. Nora hummed a wordless tune in his ear during that time, occasionally running a hand through his messy blonde hair or tracing the seat with her finger. Despite the curiosity he felt, he did not question further what Nora and Ruby had eluded to - he already made Ruby upset, he didn't want to test Nora's patience.

Soon his attention was grabbed at the lobby camera, where Weiss exited the library with a piece of paper and a small yet sharp object that glistened in the faint light that fell through the cracks in the building. She stopped next to the library doors and turned to the wall, pushing the piece of paper up against the worn wallpaper and shoving the sharp needle-esque object into it, pinning it to the wall. She cast a glance over her shoulder at the camera, her icy eyes unreadable before she simply turned and walked up the right staircase, disappearing up there. He followed her through the cameras as she went only a little down the hall before entering the room where Ruby was.

The red-and-black dressed animatronic only met Weiss' eye, neither of them speaking a word. A silent agreement seemed to have been reached, as Ruby sighed and climbed to her feet, beginning to leave the room while Weiss had already left, going back towards the room she started in. Ruby cast a faint smile at the camera before following after the white-clad girl, both of them assuming the _exact_ same positions they had when they first started. It was a little eerie, all things considered.

''Hn...'' Nora let out a half-whine, ''I gotta go now, Jauney.''

 _'Jauney?'_ He thought in amusement, before verbally responding to her, ''Sure... uh, see you tomorrow?''

''You sure will!'' She giggled, surprising him when she abruptly gave him a peck on the cheek before hopping off of his lap, pausing at the doorway, ''Bye~!''

With that parting word said in a sing-song tune, Nora zipped down the hall, cheerfully humming a tune. Jaune simply sat there stunned for several minutes, surprise locked onto his features as his brain effectively rebooted itself. In the end, it was the beeping of his watch that broke him out of his stupor, alerting him that it was six in the morning now. Shaking off the lingering surprise, he silently took both the tablet and flashlight in hand and began to make his way out of the building, turning the ventilation system off on the way.

 _'What a weird girl.'_ Jaune mused quietly in his head, still in mild surprise by her sudden... action.

As he entered the lobby though his eyes flickered to the piece of paper that Weiss had nailed to the wall. Approaching it he saw that the thing that was used to nail it to the wall was a small... thing. He'd call it a toothpick, but it looked so much more refined than that despite being the length of his finger and as thin as a needle, getting larger near the rear end where a cylinder lay. He ignored the strange needle-esque object, picking it out and gently laying it on the floor while picking up the note. It was short, but what was on it made him frown.

He shook his head, folding the note up and pocketing it before making his way towards the open doors. Golden rays of morning sunshine were cast into the large room, illuminating it and making the dust particles become visible, accompanied by a quick but bitingly cold gust of morning wind, making him shiver from the sudden cold. He merely steadied his nerves though, walking out the doors and briefly hesitating, unsure if he should simply continue to the guard post where Emerald presumably waited or to stay and wait for the doors to close. After a few moments of thought, he decided to stay and watch the doors to make sure nobody snuck in.

It wasn't a long wait, although the chilly morning air wasn't a pleasant feeling. Soon the iron doors 'clicked' and began to close, groaning as they inwardly-open doors swung closed, finishing up with a soft click as they shut closed. Assured that the place was locked safe, Jaune turned and began making his way towards the guard post to clock out of his first day on the job. On the way however his thoughts drifted back to the note that Weiss had left, and to a lesser extent, the odd needle she had used to hold it in place.

Pulling the note out of his pocket, he frowned at it.

 _ **''I have not lost hope.''**_

* * *

 **A/N: Bam!**

 **The chapter took a little longer than I had hoped, but at the same time I'm somewhat pleased I actually managed to get a second chapter out so soon. Both a benefit and curse of writing up 6-7 stories in the background; it means if you have writers block on one story you can simply jump to another and try there, but it also means that you have to divide your time over a wider area.**

 **So here's the first night. A look at Ruby, Nora and Weiss so far, along with a slightest hints at the mystery that lays beyond. I went with a bit of suspense/horror at the start and middle, broken by some humour with Ruby and Nora, an inkling of mystery and then ending with a touch of romance and hint of mystery. I hope I did not disappoint.**

 **Thank you to all who reviewed last chapter :D**

 **Also, here's a little hint/fun fact/tease/whatever - there were _four_ active animatronics in the fic, the fourth was _very_ subtle though fufufu.**

 **Anyway, till next time~!**


	3. Interlude One

**A/N: The first interlude chapter! For those who came to see Night Two, sorry but that's next chapter, although that'll be coming soon due to the shorter length of this chapter. Whether an interlude chapter will come in-between _every_ night is undecided, although between 2-3 I won't do one I know that for sure. These interludes are just for character development (not with the animatronics or including them), Jaune's thoughts, his interactions with his sister and some cameos from others characters - it _is_ a modern-world AU, but that won't be shown much aside from brief discussions or elusions to it. They'll (mostly) be light-hearted. Interlude chapters will also be a fair bit shorter, since they _are_ interludes and not full chapters.**

 **If you want to skip the interlude chapters, you probably won't miss out on much, although some plot points might be missed - but if you're here just for the horror elements and not the actual plot, then go on ahead I guess.**

 **(Thank you to all those who have reviewed by the way ^_^)**

 **I DO NOT OWN RWBY**

* * *

 _ **Interlude 1**_

* * *

With his new job finishing at six in the morning, Jaune had set his alarm clock for four in the evening, with him returning back to his apartment at seven in the morning. It gave him roughly nine hours of sleep which he was fine with - he had gone on quite a bit less before. Visiting hours for the hospital ended at seven in the evening, so it allowed him time to freshen up, grab a small dinner and head to the hospital to visit his sister. He did it almost every day and was determined to do so for the rest of her time - he had learned the hard way those close to you could be torn away at a moments notice.

Currently, he was walking towards the hospital where his sister lay, Vale Cross Hospital, the biggest and best hospital in all of Vale. It wasn't expensive per say - due to his situation, living and financial, the cost was reduced by the government by a fair amount, but it still cost almost all of his money that he earned. While it wasn't preferable, he didn't care as long as it meant his sister got the care she needed. He definitely wouldn't be able to take care of her himself, that's for sure.

The busy streets and stores blended into a smooth hum of chatter, like a chaotic symphony. The winds had thankfully calmed down from their biting gales, reduced to a mere chilly breeze. Jaune didn't pay any of it much mind, instead fishing for his earphones in his pockets. Finding them, he carefully extracted them and plugged them into his phone, pushing the small devices into his ears. Flicking through his limited selection of music, he found a reasonable track and hit play.

 _ **I torture you**_

 _ **(take my hands through the flames...)**_

 _ **I torture you - I'm a slave to your games**_ _ **(I'm just a sucker for pain)**_

 _ **I wanna chain you up, I wanna tie you down (I'm just a sucker for pain)**_

Jaune gently hummed the tune as he walked, the song beating in his ears as he walked. It matched his mood really, since his mind had been stuck on the animatronics at Beacon since he woke up. Animatronics, machines given a slight bit of sentience, but at the same time lacked sentience. Artificial intelligence had existed for quite a few years, arguably before he was even born, yet the barrier between just AI and genuine sentience was fading. Whether that was a good thing or not was a controversial thing; would it not be good to have created an entirely new species, forged by man's hand alone? Historians said that long ago people with animal features once existed, possibly through humans means or mutation, so why would sentient robots be so different?

Either way, he couldn't get his mind off of them. The way Ruby had described their time there... with such pure unadulterated venom was... very not-AI like. In fact, if he put more thought into it, almost everything they did wasn't what most AI's or animatronics were like... soft, realistic skin... non-scripted responses, 'breaking through their programming' (which he still had no idea what that meant), the desire to _hurt_ him and overall the creepy, nigh-bloodthirsty desires they had. None of it made any sense, not helped by their apparent aversion to speaking on the subject lest 'bad things happen'.

 _'What does that even mean?'_ He frowned in irritation, _'What kind of 'bad things'? Do they get rebooted or something, deactivated? Am I missing something here?'_

There was a slight option he could pursue, but he honestly was worried to do so; exploration. He only explored a portion of the building and only briefly, so who knows what kind of information could be lying about? Weiss had left that note so its possible they simply can't verbalise it. The library didn't have a camera in it, maybe there's a reason for it? The biggest problem though was that he could only get into the building at midnight when his shift started - aside from when Cinder opened them, but she only did that once and that was to show him around. He might be able to find something, but he might also get caught by one of the animatronics without a door to stop them.

It wasn't a happy thought.

The other option that came to mind was to research the building itself, see if he could find anything. Given how worn-down and out-of-place the building was he presumed it had to be _at least_ half a century old, since he vaguely recalled that was around that time the industrial district was built. It might explain the history of what put it out of business, yet not enough to warrant its destruction, and more importantly why animatronics were inside. Still, that was an option to pursue tomorrow when he had access to a computer.

His walk to the hospital was put on hold as a storefront caught his eye. Briefly raking his pockets for change, pulling out several Lien cards. He smoothly walked through the crowd, pushing against the glass door and entering the store. Sweets of all kinds, bearing anything from cookies to liquorish laid on the shelves, protected behind a glass barrier or behind the counter of course. While it was close to the centre of Vale and thus close to the upper-class district, it was on the cheaper side while not losing quality. It was Hazel's favourite place before the incident.

''Welcome.'' Was all the man behind the counter said, a light smile on his face even as he attended to several other customers. Jaune just nodded in acknowledgement before having a brief look around the store, even if he knew what he was getting regardless. He picked up a hazelnut chocolate bar for his sister since it was her favourite and, after a brief moment of debate, picking up a bag of cookies too for later while he was on the job. He got in line, still listening to the music in his ears as he handed over the required Lien for the cookies and chocolate.

Taking the plastic bag that was offered, he gave a thanks to the man before turning and exiting the store and continuing on his way to the hospital. He made it to the hospital just as the song reached its end, prompting him to take out his earphones and return them to his pocket, turning off his phone a moment later. The lobby was bustling with activity, yet it was the same chaotic movement that the entire city had; it was chaos when you looked at it, yet walking through it was as easy as breathing. It came with growing up in the city, he supposed. His sister was on the second floor where the ICU was located, so he went for the stairs given the elevators looked to be crowding up with both doctors and visitors alike.

The second floor, while still crowded, looked and felt less chaotic than the expansive lobby downstairs. He passed by dozens of nurses and doctors, one or two of them giving a brief smile or greeting, likely knowing him from his nigh-daily visits. He entered the ICU ward, briefly pausing to use the anti-bacterial hand wash visitors were required to use and signed his name in before continuing. He passed by the individuals rooms that held each patient or patients, some in comas, some completely paralysed, some with life-threatening diseases, any and all serious cases was within the ICU. Soon he found his sisters room.

The door creaked open, closing shut behind him softly. His sister didn't greet him verbally, although the kind smile that she always had was still there, clear happiness in her eyes to see her brother. Silently he moved to her side and took a seat in the chair, an amused look coming to his face as he realised the reason she had remained silent was because her cartoon was playing. Shaking his head slightly, he spoke up.

''Hey sis, you in the mood for some chocolate?''

Almost instantly he had his sister's undivided attention, her eyes intensely boring into his with hope sparkling in them at the mere mention of her favourite treat. He chuckled as he reached inside the plastic bag, retrieving the hazelnut chocolate bar and handing it over. She let out a sound of glee as she all but snatched it away and tore open the packaging, broke off a line of chunks and stuffed it in her mouth, moaning in delight at the rich taste.

''Don't eat it all at once...'' Jaune warned her as she reached for a second line of chunks. She shot him a look that reminded him of a kicked puppy, reluctantly only taking a few chunks from the line and eating it more slowly.

''So, how was work?'' Hazel asked in-between bites.

''Fine. A bit... weird, and the place was really old.'' He explained hesitantly. Whether to explain the animatronics or not was like a war in his head, before he eventually decided against it. It wasn't really _that_ important for her to know.

Hazel hummed, ''But it's alright?''

''Yeah, pays 350 Lien a week.'' Jaune chuckled when Hazel gained a look of shock on her face.

''What the hell are you guarding bro? The Crown of Vytal?''

Jaune gave her a disapproving frown, ''Language, sis, and no - I'm guarding an old academy building so nobody breaks in.''

''Ah? That's so boring...'' She puffed her cheeks out with a pout.

 _'It's really, REALLY not...'_ He sweat-dropped in his head, while verbally he just made a sound of agreement. Hazel's attention was grabbed once again by the TV on the wall as her cartoon came back on, although she adjusted her position to lie closer to Jaune so they could watch it together, even if Jaune didn't hold any interest in it.

Setting an alert for fifteen minutes before the end of visiting hours, he leaned back and relaxed, allowing himself to spend some quality time with his sister.

* * *

The alerting sound of his phone, a low buzzing sound, broke him out of the conversation he was having with his sister. He sighed, disabling the alert and pocketing the phone as he pushed himself out of the chair.

''I better get going sis.'' He smiled at Hazel, who merely sighed and conceded with a nod.

''Will you be coming tomorrow?''

Mulling it over, he replied with, ''Maybe. I'll try, but with my new sleep schedule I might not have time.''

''Okay, but if you miss tomorrow then bring some more chocolate, 'kay?'' She smiled with faux-innocence.

Rolling his eyes, he nodded, ''Yeah, yeah, I'll bring some more.''

''Yay~!'' She cheered happily, making him smile as he ruffled her hair.

''I'll see you later then.'' He smiled, walking towards the door as Hazel gave her own goodbye. The door clicked softly behind him as he closed it, the hum of background chatter filling his ears as he walked down the crowded hallway, filled with people also leaving, some more reluctant than others. The evening sky that he could see through the many windows was lit up by the lights of the city, painting a beautiful picture. If only he could actually do art then he'd probably make a fair amount of money.

However when he made for the stairs he bumped into someone, nearly knocking them over.

''A-Ah! Sorry!'' The woman - barely in her twenties, he noted - exclaimed in surprise.

''Sorry, my fault - I should've been looking where I was going.'' Jaune smiled apologetically, the woman's brown eyes and gentle, apologetic smile matching his.

She shook her head, long brown hair that fell to her waist swaying with the motion. ''It's alright sir.''

Before any conversation could continue, a voice called out from somewhere in the lobby behind Jaune. ''Nurse Scarlatina! You're needed over here!''

''Ah! I better get going.'' The brown-haired nurse smiled at him once more before brushing past him. Jaune watched her go briefly before carrying down the stairs, although a frown set in on his young features.

 _'Why does she seem so... familiar?'_

* * *

 **A/N: Fufufu~ mystery is fun~!**

 **What does it mean? Why is Velvet here in the hospital as a nurse, yet at Beacon as an animatronic? How does that work? What is real, what is fake? All will be explained in time, although whether or not the revelation is as you expect will have to be seen.**

 **How was the interlude chapter though? Too long? Too short? Any changes you'd prefer (more interaction with Hazel, less interaction with Hazel, etc.)**

 **Till next time (which will be shortly)!**


	4. Night Two

**A/N: This took a little longer than I wanted to write, a day longer, but that's not the reason why I didn't post it earlier. My computer's driver broke and given how old it was, I just decided to get a new laptop instead since it was worth more than getting it repaired to last a few more years. I didn't have the money readily on hand, _so_ I couldn't get the computer right away, and I've only recently gotten it fully set-up, which is why the update took so long. Sorry about that, but nothing I could really do about it.**

 **On a more cheerful note, it's a pleasant surprise to see everyone enjoying the story as much as they are, including their guesses in the reviews ^_^. Here's Night Two out of Seven! I'll try to get the next one out as soon as possible!**

 **(Also, it's kinda funny I'm posting this on _Halloween_ , a complete coincidence seriously.)**

 **I DONT OWN RWBY**

* * *

 _ **Night Two**_

* * *

The doors of the main entrance to the academy closed with a soft click, leaving him standing in the silent lobby, alone. He held up the tablet that he was given at the guard post, some guy in his twenties called Mercury in place of Emerald. It auto-connected to the system mainframe, allowing him to access all of the features he had yesterday. He flicked through the cameras, finding nobody to be out of their usual places.

 _'Time to explore...'_ He mused with a grimace, silently hoping none of the animatronics would move.

He only took a few steps before a small glint to his left caught his attention, and upon approaching it found that it was - to his surprise - another note, suspending by the weird toothpick that Weiss had used yesterday. Removing and dropping the toothpick, he picked up the note and read it.

 _**Room B2-2**_

 _'Why does she want me to go there? For what?'_ He frowned, but reluctantly found himself walking towards the room regardless. If it was Weiss the one who left the note, why? Nora and Ruby had said her programming never wore off, so why was she leaving 'hints'? Hints for what he didn't know. Did the programming turn off after six am, was that why the note was here? But then again Weiss had left the note yesterday just minutes before six am. It was all so confusing. Something big was going on and he had zero idea what it was.

The stairs under him creaked as he walked, his flashlight flickering about the walls. The air wasn't as thick as yesterday, but far from clean, prompting him to turn on the ventilation system again. Checking the cameras again just to be safe, he reached the empty room for B2-2, hesitating before he pushed it open. It was, as he expected, completely dark inside. Boxes were organised into several piles that thinned out the higher they went, all of them either empty or sealed after a brief moment of inspection. However when his light met the walls did he notice something equal parts puzzling and worrying.

Tally marks. The entire back wall was lined with them, four vertical and a diagonal one over it to amount to five. There dozens, maybe even hundreds of them. His flashlight flicked to the left and right walls, only to reveal they were also covered with more marks. The floor and ceiling weren't exempt from it either, although the latter held less of them, as if someone was still in the process of marking down whatever it was they were marking. Days? Number of guards? It could be anything. The markings weren't chalk either, instead they were faint grooves dug into the walls, thin and delicately made. The cone of light traced over all of them and he turned around to inspect the door and the adjacent wall-

Only for his cobalt eyes to meet icy blue ones.

He froze up on the spot, his breath hitching in his throat as he stared into the cool eyes of Weiss, standing in the open doorway. He hadn't heard her coming - he hadn't heard _anything_ at all, she had been as silent as a mouse despite wearing heels. Weiss didn't move either, her face showing no expression as she stared straight into his cobalt ones. If the air had been thick before, now it was downright suffocating, like he'd die if he breathed too loudly. The silence dragged on for nearly a minute before Weiss huffed, turning on her heel.

''Return to your office, Arc.''

With that she simply turned and left, walking back towards her room. Jaune remained frozen for several minutes, simply staring at the doorway where she walked away before shaking himself out of it. Hesitantly he peeked out into the hall, finding that Weiss' room door was closed, the camera confirming that, albeit Weiss was sitting on her bed, doing an odd motion of clapping the bottom of her palms together and then her knuckles, over and over again repetitively. Ruby was halfway off of her bed, likely signalling she was going to move and Nora was also partially moved from her original spot. Realising the danger, Jaune quickly began to make his way back to the office at a fast walk, careful to not make much noise.

Though the question if they even listened for noise was left unanswered, it was better to just remain on the safe side.

The swivel chair creaked slightly as he sat down on it, pulling up the tablet and checking over the place. None of them had moved. Sighing Jaune leaned back in his seat, flicking in between Nora and Ruby, keeping an eye on both. Nearly ten minutes passed without either of them having moved, including Weiss. He briefly considered exploring once more, but immediately quashed that idea under the potential threat of Nora or Ruby 'hurting' him. Just as he flicked to Ruby's camera a loud slam reached his ears, prompting him to immediate check on Nora, only to find her door wide open, already running.

The left door slammed down a second later, Nora running into it two seconds later and letting out a whine. However unlike the previous night she did not speak, instead simply repeated 'let me in' over and over and over again, in the exact same whining tone and with complete consistency. He tried to ignore it by focusing on Ruby to make sure she didn't sneak up on him like last time, but it plucked at his heart strings to hear the ginger animatronic whine such pleads. Ruby didn't move from her location either, yet the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up for no reason.

Then suddenly, silence.

Jaune blinked, looking around him. Nora had not only gone silent, but what was more concerning was the ventilation had just stopped - not slowed down, simply flat-out stopped without warning. He checked the camera of the left hall, revealing a downtrodden Nora walking away from the door and returning to the lobby, heading towards the cafeteria. He didn't dare let her escape his sight or the sight of the cameras. She trudged through Hall B and to the bathroom before entering it, her form disappearing into the pitch-black room. Listening to the audio all he heard was a quiet, indecipherable mumbling, seemingly repeating itself.

Quiet yet quick steps broke him from his focused listening, flicking to the right hall, then to the lobby where he found Ruby standing, smiling widely with an unseeing stare. Taking a breath, he closed the right door whilst unlocking the left one before changing back to the lobby camera, only to find Ruby gone. The left hallway was empty, thankfully, but his heart leapt out of his chest when quick, repeating bangs struck the right door. It only lasted for about six seconds, followed by a few seconds of heavy breathing before faint footsteps began to carry the animatronic away. That animatronic being Ruby, still looking completely (insanely) happy despite breathing slightly heavily.

He watched her go back up the right staircase, prompting him to unlock the door. Despite the sound echoing throughout the entire building, she apparently didn't notice, instead continued walking back to her room and returning to the exact same position as she had been in at the start of the night. With Nora and Ruby taken care of for the time being - he doubted they were done for the night - he pulled up the systems panel and tried to activate the ventilation, only to find it was already activated. That made him frown, why would the sound just stop-

The beeping of his watch startled him out of his thoughts, his eyes snapping to the small device in disbelief, _'1 AM?! It's barely been five minutes!'_

Was it broken? That was the first thing that came to mind, yet it had worked perfectly well yesterday and even matched up with the clocks in the hospital. Unless it had broken suddenly on the way to work, his only explanation was that 'time just flew when you were getting hunted by potentially murderous robots'. Maybe he should trademark that.

A quiet, almost distant bang reached his ears, immediately making him tense and springing him into action. Hall A1 and A2, clear. Lobby and Hall B, clear. Hall C1 and C2, clear. Cafeteria, clear. It was only when he switched to the kitchen camera when something quite immediately became obvious. Firstly the fashionista was faced towards the camera, her sunglasses pulled down slightly to show her raised eyebrow, yet remained unmoving. The bunny-girl on the other hand was not there at all. He swapped through all of the cameras, yet couldn't find her _anywhere_.

 _'Maybe she's hiding?'_ The thought came out of nowhere, yet he was inclined to believe it. He swapped back to the kitchen again, mildly surprised to find Nora now present, sitting on the edge of the counter with a rusty fork in her hands, poised to stab at the wall in front of her. Ignoring that, he swapped to the cafeteria. He went over it with a more careful gaze, checking nobody was potentially hiding behind any of the low tables, but finding nothing. He was about to check Hall B when he noticed two protrusions at the far end of the room, hidden behind a tipped-over table. If he focused enough he could almost make out the whites of the eyes of the bunny-girl, hidden behind it.

Still, she was on the other side of the building, so nothing for him to immediately worry about. Switching through the cameras once more he began to pay extra attention to detail encase there was something he should be keeping an eye out for. Nora was still in the kitchen, Ruby was lying on her bedroom floor, poised to leap at the door for whatever reason with a wide grin, Velvet still appeared to be in the cafeteria and Weiss was still doing that odd hand rhythm. With a sigh he leaned his upper torso forward slightly, twisting about and getting several satisfying clicks as he stretched without standing.

 _Hmmmmmm_

Jaune blinked, surprised as he looked up at the ventilation hatch near the ceiling, said hatch being a simple grate. Only now the humming of the ventilation system was back, accompanied by a fresh blast of air. Odd. He writ it off as the system malfunctioning, since like Cinder said the whole building was quite old. However when he checked back at the cameras he tensed as he realised in his faint time of distraction several animatronics had moved; Velvet was now missing, Ruby was now in the right hall, Nora was in the cafeteria and the Spartan from before had also now moved into the left hall. Her expression... her eyes were shadowed, yet her shoulders were shaking, as if suppressing sobs or laughs, an almost loving smile mixed with a deranged smile on her face.

He switched to Hall B, spotting Nora creeping down it. What he noticed after a few moments however was the bathroom door slightly ajar, the blackness inside offset by the pair of bunny ears peeking out from it, a smile of perfect white teeth almost illuminated in the darkness, wide eyes staring straight at the camera unnervingly. He swapped to the lobby camera as Nora entered, Ruby present on the right staircase with a matching smile full of teeth.

Jaune gulped, heaving a deep breath as his sweaty hands clenched around the tablet, prepared to react. It was good he was prepared, as Nora suddenly broke out into a mad sprint for his right door, which closed a split second before she reached it. When he checked the lobby he found Ruby was almost at the left hall, frozen as the camera remained on her. With a cautious frown, he closed the left door before going back to the lobby camera. While Ruby had not reacted physically, facially her smile seemed to have dimmed slightly, although given the poor lighting it could've just been a trick of the mind - but hey, it made him feel better.

The trudging footsteps to his right alerted him of Nora leaving, confirmed with a quick glance at the camera. Ruby had also moved, nearly halfway across the room and facing Hall B. He changed to the Hall B camera to check on the bunny, only to find the bunny-girl was no longer there, the bathroom door completely closed. He checked the lobby, Ruby and Nora now having gone, but no signs of the bunny. He went through every camera, paying close detail to them, but didn't find her anywhere on any of the cameras. Listening to the bathroom audio gave him no help either, just quiet background static.

With heavy reluctance he opened both the left and right doors, checking the adjacent halls just to be sure, a relieved sigh escaping him when he found nothing. The beeping of his watch though made him cast a frown down at it, now not so much surprised as he was simply confused.

 _'Is this what it feels like to be old?'_ He mused, drawing a long sigh, _'Time passing by without you noticing?'_

He shook the thought away. He was on the job, no time to feel old yet. He flicked through the screens, finding nothing exactly to worry about yet - aside from the still-missing bunny-girl. He was however broken from his viewing by the sounds of heavy footsteps, breaking the silence of the building. He checked both halls before checking the lobby, tensing up at the sight of the unnamed Spartan, twisted-loving grin still on her face as she stood stock-still just on the lip of entering the left hall. Quickly opening the systems panel he closed the left door down. That taken care of he swapped to the cafeteria camera, finding Ruby and Nora sitting at one of the tables, blankly staring at one another in utter silence, almost as if they didn't register the other was there.

''Welcome back Jaune...''

He froze up, eyes flickering to the closed door where the voice came from, breathy and heavy.

A giggle came from the Spartan followed by a loud exhale of air, ''Open the door Jaune...''

A loud slam came, the sound of a fist hit the metal of the door, ''I only want to be with you again...''

''How do you know my name?'' Jaune replied, his voice shaking slightly from the completely unnerving voice she used. He didn't hear what she said, instead all he got was indecipherable mutters, disturbing glee in her low tone as she slowly, repetitively bashing her fist against the metal. He tried to push it out of his mind, but every thud against the door jolted him back to it, like a reflex. Soon however the animatronic fell silent, her banging stopping and muttering silent. When he checked the camera her face was completely unreadable, blank eyes staring at the door. Without any more words she straightened up, turned, and walked away, her heavy footfalls fading the further she got. Only once she reached the left staircase did he unlock the left door.

He sighed, slouching in his chair as he attempted to calm his racing heart.

''Hey Jaune!''

''Gah!'' He cried out in surprise, recoiling away from the person that popped in his right door. The world flipped as he fell on his back with a choked grunt, the tablet still grasped in his hands and narrowly missing the edge of the left doorframe. He cringed from the bright light that shone overhead, the animatronic that frightened him spewing apologies. Blinking the spots out of his eyes, he pushed himself onto his side, awkwardly removing his legs from the chair before standing back up. To both his relief and surprise the person who scared him was Nora, who awkwardly stood in the doorway, looking to be warring between leaving and staying.

''Nora?'' He sighed, ''Please don't surprise me like that.''

''...sorry Jaune.'' Nora replied, shame-faced and kicking her foot like a scolded child. The action reminded him very much of the past, when Hazel got scolded by the teacher for something or another, sometimes even breaking down into tears from the harsh verbal reprimand.

He sighed, crossing the small distance of the office and pulling Nora into a hug. Her short height of 5'1 was tiny compared to his 6'1, and while she seemed to be more muscular than him, he still towered over her. Neither said anything, just standing there as he waited until she felt better - he had experience with this after all. He didn't know how long passed before Nora eventually responded, said response being by almost nuzzling into his chest, turquoise eyes looked up at him and a small smile growing on her face.

''Thanks.'' She merely said.

He smiled in return, but that smile faltered slightly when the overhead light suddenly flickered, continuing for several seconds before suddenly going out. His tablet beeped, prompting him to pull it up and see an alert warning that the generator was malfunctioning, the utility tunnel door unlocking. The idea that one of the animatronics might be doing this didn't help his nerves at all. He spared a glance at Nora who was also looking at the tablet, before she raised her head with her trademark smile.

''Can you stay here and keep an eye on things?'' Jaune asked, making the girl bob her head.

''Yep!'' She cheered, spinning and landing in his chair, having taken the tablet out of his hands without him noticing. She hummed a tune under her breath as she simply sat there watching the screen, assuring him she'd do as he asked.

He repressed a sigh, picking up his flashlight, _'Here we go...'_

His footsteps were muffled slightly by the soft burgundy carpet as he walked, hunched over slightly as he scanned the whole lobby with the flashlight before moving on. If he listened close enough he could faintly hear the depressions of the wood in the distance, signalling someone was moving around, although he couldn't tell where. When he reached Hall B he was greeted with nothing but an empty hall, thankfully, but he also couldn't see Ruby in the cafeteria either. Hesitant to the point he was muffling his breathing with his free hand he crept up to the ominously open black door, peeking down into the steam tunnel.

Unlike the cameras his eyes had adapted to the darkness, allowing him to see simple hall that went straight to a more open square layout, featuring a bronze-coloured generator and what looked like instructions taped onto the wall next to it. Several lines of pipes were on the right-hand wall, yet there was still a small amount of space behind it, barely big enough for someone of his height to stand. Red lights surrounded by small metal cages hung on the left wall, barely illuminating it enough with the only real source of light at the end of the hall was a single regular light that dangled above the generator, currently flickering on and off.

Soft taps were the only sound in the room as he crept down the hall, eyes darting around the room for any potential attackers. He reached the end of the hall without incident, but it was only under the light by the generator did he notice something. Another animatronic. She was female like all the others, dressed in a fashion not dissimilar with a doll, with ginger hair that curled at the sides and a pink bow on her head, unseeing green eyes with dilated pupils. She was slumped against the wall near the generator, a small backpack on her back and a metal box behind her with multiple warning labels on it. She didn't seem to notice him, thankfully, and didn't react when he passed in front of her, so it was safe to assume that she wasn't working.

However, that also meant that there was another animatronic to possibly worry about.

That was something to worry about later though, for now he needed to focus on fixing the generator. According to the instructions on the wall the temporary fix was to simply hold down the red button on the side until he heard it go silent, wait four seconds, then hold it in for another for seconds until it started up. Rinse and repeat until the overhead light, the closest thing to the generator, stopped flickering. He did as the instructions said, having to use a fair amount of force to actually push the button in. It worked on the first time, the light above him no longer flickering and the generator humming gently.

He didn't relax yet though, not when his nerves were still alight with the prospect of being found by any of the animatronics. He turned and began walking away at a quiet but quick pace, keeping half a gaze on the animatronic by the generator and half a gaze on the door up ahead. He was only halfway when suddenly had a strange feeling shoot up his spine, like a cool breeze just blew by, or like being watched-

 _CLANG_

His eyes snapped to the source of the sound, immediately relaxing when he saw it was just an old scoop spoon.

That relaxation faded as a question suddenly appeared in his head, cold dread filling his stomach.

What was a _scoop_ _spoon_ doing in a _utility tunnel?_

Someone tapped his shoulder, his head whipping around to the person... but nobody was there. He felt someone brush up against his back and he turned to look as fast as he could, yet nobody was with him, the only sound being his own heavy breathing. He felt it again a few moments later, although this time it was much less subtle. Arms wrapped around his neck and a body pressed up against his back, quite short if he were to guess, but his mind was elsewhere - namely the sudden... _dangerous_ feeling he had, like a knife was right in front of his throat. Like if he moved an inch forward he'd cut himself, that he was millimetres from touching the sharp edge of a knife and his body was screaming at him to not do it, yet he couldn't see it.

Then suddenly the feeling was gone, along with the feeling of the body against his back. Reluctantly he looked behind him, but once again found nobody. He took a single step towards the door, and when nothing occurred he continued, albeit at a much faster pace. Unless he had suddenly gone full-blown paranoid, there were also ghosts to worry about. Fantastic.

As he reached the stairs those he suddenly collided with something, or more specifically something collided with him, harshly. He fell onto his back and narrowly missed bashing his skull on the concrete, yet even with using an arm to soften his blow the sudden jolt create spots in his vision, disappearing as he blinked rapidly. When he realised who was above him, however, his blood ran cold. The bunny girl from earlier sat atop him, leaning over him with a wide smile and wide-open eyes, panting heavily and shaking slightly.

''H-Hi Jaune...'' She said, her high-pitched voice trembling slightly, leaning closer to him.

''Wha-'' His question was cut off in a way he certainly didn't expect, that being her lips suddenly meeting his. The mere action left him in shock, paralysed as the animatronic above him gently, almost alluringly kissed him.

It was only when the room started getting darker did he realise something was wrong, how short of breath he felt. A glance down revealed, to his panic, that the animatronic had both hands tightly wrapped around his neck, choking the life out of him and he didn't even realise. He tried to push her off of him but found he lacked the strength to do so, his vision darkening further as he tried to pry her fingers off, only making her grip tighter, the terrifying look of disturbed glee on her face not leaving.

 _'Is this how I die?'_ The thought came to him, his arms weakly trying to pull hers off of him. His vision got progressively darker and his lungs burned for oxygen, his eyelids beginning to flicker as darkness called for him.

Turns out, he wouldn't be dying yet.

''Ruby~ kick!''

The girl above him had enough time to blink in confusion before a boot crashed against the back of her head, making her (thankfully) release him and was sent tumbling over him and down the hall. Jaune greedily sucked in fresh air, dimly being aware of someone - Ruby, he realised after a brief moment - helped pull him to his feet and gently pushed him towards the exit. He stumbled all the way, falling onto all fours when he reached the top, still reeling from the shock of it.

''C'mon Jaune.'' The familiar voice of Ruby ushered, ''Velvet will get up soon!''

Velvet. Well at least he knew her name now, he thought idly as he ungracefully stumbled back towards his office. Subtly or care was at the back of his mind as he half-jogged, half-stumbled away from the large metal door, Ruby only a few steps behind him. When he went down the right hall adjacent to the office he was relieved nobody was at either of the doors, Nora still sat in his chair. She hopped off without a word, eyes still looking down at the tablet as she took a seat on the floor next to the radiator. The chair rattled slightly as he plopped down into it, Ruby coming in a moment later and sitting next to Nora.

At a gesture, Nora wordlessly relinquished the tablet to him. Once both of the doors closed he released a sigh, leaving the device on his lap. The two animatronics at his feet remained quiet as he massaged his face, his breathing gradually evening out and his heartbeat returning to normal levels. The ventilation once again malfunctioned, no sound or fresh air coming through, which he hoped wasn't a sign the generator was about to break again.

''So...'' Ruby broke the silence, her tone bashful, ''That was Velvet... she's _much_ nicer normally, I promise.''

''So she doesn't choke people normally?'' Jaune sarcastically shot back.

''...not really, no.'' The red-clad girl replied sheepishly, before her eyes flickered to something on his desk, ''Are those... cookies?''

Blinking at the sudden change of subject, he looked over his shoulder, realising he had brought the bag of cookies he had been idly eating earlier with him. ''Yeah...?''

''Can I have one?'' Ruby asked, rocking back and forth eagerly.

''Sure...?'' He said uncertainly, fishing a cookie out and holding it out to her. He wasn't sure and a little worried about giving food to a robot, since in most cases animatronics weren't built to actually eat human food, or any food for that matter. Ruby took the cookie without a shred of hesitation, bringing it to her mouth and chomping a large bite out of the cookie. She let out a muffled squeal of ecstasy and fell on her back, like a baby being tickled, writhing joyfully.

Turning a bewildered look at Nora, he asked, ''Is she... alright?''

''Yep.'' Nora smiled, ''She just _really_ likes cookies.''

As if to punctuate that fact, Ruby let out a muffled cry of 'I almost forgot what they tasted like!', eagerly munching away on what was left. It made sense in Jaune's mind, in a weird way. If this building was as old as he thought it was, then she wouldn't have had the chance to eat any food for a long while. Maybe she was a teacher, or an assistant here? Either way, maybe she was fed cookies, maybe like a reward for helping for something.

His attention was grabbed as his watch beeped, and to his shock it said it was turning over to five, which was definitely a surprise - two hours _could not_ have passed so quickly, it wasn't even possible. At first he thought it was him just not noticing, but unless he had passed out when he was getting choked or took a lot longer creeping over to the utility tunnel, two hours couldn't have possibly passed so quickly. He considered asking Ruby or Nora whether or not he was going crazy, but dismissed the thought reluctantly, encase 'bad things' happened.

Still had zero clue what that entailed.

''Can I have another?'' Ruby asked, licking up the cookie crumbs on her lips.

''I don't mind.'' He smiled, handing over the rest of the bag, watching fondly as Ruby all but tore into the cookies, devouring them eagerly. However his fondness was broken as he heard heavy footfalls coming from the left hall, instantly reminding him of both the other animatronics _and_ the creepy one in particular. He instantly pulled up his tablet, flicked to the systems tab and closed the left door, the heavy metal crashing down a moment later. Silence reigned, Ruby having quietening down (but still avidly munching away) and Nora just sitting next to him, her chin resting on his knee.

''U-Um... excuse me?'' A familiar yet oddly polite voice spoke up, hesitance clear in her voice, ''I-I just wanted to apologise.''

Blinking in surprise, he stared at the door as he replied, ''Apologise?''

''Yes... I was under the influence earlier, and I fear we may have gotten off on the wrong foot...''

''You were drunk?'' Jaune asked, 'influence' registering as 'drunk' in his brain.

Spluttering came from the other side of the door, ''W-What?! No! I meant the po-programming!''

''O-Oh, right.'' He had the decency to chuckle bashfully, realising his blunder, ''Sorry.''

''I am sorry also.'' The formerly creepy girl apologised, her voice more audible as he opened the door, allowing him to see her ashamed face. ''I do hope we can still be friends.''

''Yeah.'' He agreed, making her smile, ''What's your name?''

He swore he saw a flicker of pain in her eyes, but it was gone a second later.

''I'm... Pyrrha.'' She smiled, shifting slightly, ''What is your name?''

''You don't know?'' He asked in surprise, vividly recalling how she called him by his name earlier. Confusion showed on Pyrrha's face, tilting her head as if to convey she didn't understand if she should have known.

''I do not.'' She simply replied, now frowning.

''It's Jaune.'' He smiled, noting that fact down in his head, leaving out his last name. Before Pyrrha could reply to that, Ruby hopped up onto his lap, a wide smile on her face.

She sent a beaming smile at him, ''Thanks for the cookies Jaune! Bring some more tomorrow!''

Ruby surprised him as she gave him a peck on the cheek, her own cheeks tinted pink as she gave a goodbye wave before vanishing out the door with haste. From beside him, Nora pouted and gave him a peck on the other cheek, cheerfully giving a goodbye as she left. He sat there in his chair stunned for a long minute before simply shaking it off, trying in vain to remove the heat from his cheeks. The heat returned when he noticing Pyrrha was still in the room, smiling uncomfortably.

''Well it's been nice meeting you Jaune.'' Pyrrha smiled, pushing herself to her feet, ''I must be going now...''

She hesitated before suddenly crossing the distance between them, ensnaring him in a hug. He didn't resist, not that he would've been quick enough to do so anyway. He wrapped his arms around her, uncertain yet old brotherly instincts guiding him to comfort her. A long minute passed before she slowly pulled away, staring at him with sorrowful emerald eyes for reasons he didn't understand. He blinked and the moment after she was at the door, still staring at him sadly.

''Please remember...'' He swore he heard her whisper, yet her lips didn't move.

He remained in the same position even after she left, a frown marring his features as he silently thought over what she just said, or what she might've said unless he was going crazy. The air conditioning came back on a moment later, humming as fresh air blew into the room. He thought he heard movements in the halls, but after checking the cameras he found both were empty, meaning he probably was going crazy. The beeping of his watch alerted him as the clock turned over to six am, the main doors creaking opening in tandem. With a sigh he pushed himself out of the chair, gathered his things, and walked towards the exit.

He shivered slightly in the morning breeze, casting a glance around the room before heading towards the exit. He spotted another note, likely left by Weiss given the strange toothpick she used to hold it in place. Taking the note off the wall, he began making his way out of the industrial district, trying not to shiver in the cold.

 ** _You may be the 'Guard', but you should be beware of the 'Warden' and the 'Jailer'... and the Prisoner_**

Had he looked back just then, he would've noticed a pair of caramel eyes watching from the darkness of the school.

* * *

 **A/N: Dun~ Dun~ DUUUN~!**

 **So, now Jaune has met Velvet and Pyrrha! A bit more oriented on spookiness this chapter, also pointing out to Jaune that they will very much _kill_ him if he isn't careful. A quick peek at Penny, who has remained inactive throughout the night. _Lots_ of little hints throughout the chapter.**

 **What does Weiss' notes mean? Why does she leave them?**

 **Also for the little question game I did last chapter (if you can call it that): there were _8_ animatronics active tonight! One was subtle, one was _incredibly_ subtle, and one didn't move from their spot!**

 **And finally... who was that at the end of the chapter?**

 **Until next time!**


	5. Night Three

**A/N: I got like 2000+ words done in one sitting at six in the morning. Forgo sleep for progress, regret can wait!**

 **Either way, I feel a bit apologetic for not getting this out sooner. Granted there isn't any requirement or strict schedule I have for this - I essentially just post it after I finished it and re-read it to clear as many mistakes as possible, but I'd still prefer it if I could get them out quicker, preferably every three or four days. Sadly, I don't seem to be able to reach that deadline so easily, but I'll try, seeing how much you guys like the story so far.**

 **However, the 'main' reason this took so long to get out is my own idiocy. Basically, my friend and I decided on the _wonderful_ bet on who can go through the FNAF games 1-4 and beat all nights (including 4-20/10-20/Nightmare mode, Challenges, etc.). Did I mention _in one sitting_? In hindsight it was arguably one of the stupidest things I've ever heard, and at the time I realised it was the stupidest thing I've ever heard... but I forgot how difficult they could be.**

 **It took me _27 Hours_.**

 **So on that note: F*** you Foxy, F*** you Freddy, F*** you Balloon Boy and F*** you Springtrap. You're all a bunch of dicks.**

 **I DONT OWN RWBY**

* * *

 _ **Night Three**_

* * *

The large metal doors clicked as they closed behind Jaune, leaving him alone in the desolate academy building. He didn't waste any time though, unlike the last two nights, instead he made haste towards his office. After his encounter with Velvet the previous night, he wasn't taking any chances with the animatronics while their programming was active. Like he promised Ruby the prior night, he carried a bag of fresh cookies with him and left them on the desk in his office for when Ruby's programming wore off. He got himself comfortable in his chair and turned on the ventilation as per usual, mentally steeling himself for another night of horror.

He flicked through the cameras, checking up on all of the animatronics. Ruby was in her starting position, staring straight ahead with a wide smile. Weiss was lying on her bed, but her eyes were staring at the camera. The monochrome-themed girl and the blonde had yet to move to his knowledge. Pyrrha was still in her starting position while Nora had moved slightly, just a foot or so closer to the door. The fashionista and Velvet were still in their starting position. He had no idea whether the doll-girl had moved or not, due to the poor lighting in the tunnel. All the other rooms were empty to the camera view, although he made sure to keep an eye out for any other hidden animatronics. He didn't find any.

Although that was slightly worrying, given Weiss' warning yesterday.

He had informed Cinder of the malfunctioning ventilation system, but she only smiled and told him she was aware of it. Mercury on the other hand smirked the whole time he was there, like he knew something he didn't. It was a windy night again, the faint howling of the wind audibly through the thick walls of the building. The ventilation brought in rather chilly wind, but he'd take it over being stuck in a dusty old place. He pitied any asthmatics who had this job in the past, if they were eligible to take it at all. He didn't recall seeing any warnings about those with asthma, so he was doubtful there was any restrictions like that.

The loud bang of a door hitting a wall drew his attention, the camera immediately shifting to the hall where Nora and Pyrrha's rooms where. As he had learned over the past nights, the sound signified Nora exiting her room. Although this time she wasn't just slightly outside her room, instead she just disappeared off the camera as he reached it. The left door slammed closed and a few seconds later he heard Nora slam against it, something that was likely painful had she been sane-of-mind right now. He tuned out her 'let me in' rambles as she scratched at the door, like a rapid animal.

He flicked through the other cameras, keeping a keen eye on the ones he had a feeling would move, those being Velvet, Pyrrha, Weiss and Ruby. Velvet had yet to move, nor did the fashionista. The doll in the tunnel hadn't moved either, to what he could make out at least. Ruby had silently left her room and was frozen in the right hall while Weiss had somehow moved into the room across the hall, B2-1. Checking the camera, it revealed Weiss simply standing in the otherwise empty room, dusty beds in an identical pattern to her own room. She simply... stood there, not even staring at the camera, just staring there yet not completely frozen like Ruby was.

Ruby. He heard her coming, the right door falling down as she had quietly began approaching the door. In return he got several quiet thumps against the metal before she fell silent. He kept an eye on her via the camera and waited, watching her stand there staring at the door and breathing softly before turning and walking away. He flicked to the left door and found Nora gone, likely having left when he wasn't paying attention. Despite that, he scanned the whole building and only opened the doors once he found them, Nora being situated back in her room while Ruby was standing in the kitchen.

He quickly checked on Pyrrha, revealing her to be now standing in the otherwise empty hall, her door swinging gently back and forth. He hesitated for a brief moment, reluctantly taking his eyes off of her and checking up on Velvet. To his anxiety, she was no longer present in the kitchen, instead he found her in the cafeteria, her silhouette in the back of the room, wreathed in shadows. Ominous appearance aside, she was as far away as possible, so that eased his nerves slightly. He flicked the camera to Weiss' location, finding her still in the same location but this time looking into the camera, face completely neutral as always. Although it was a little difficult to see with the darkness, he could admit (at least, to himself) that she looked stunning, like an angel.

 _'Not that I have a fetish for robots, but still...'_ He thought dryly, shaking his head as he got his head back in the game.

He frowned as he heard the ventilation system give out, the sound muffled before falling silent, the air no longer coming through. He repressed a sigh at that, but continued to check up on the others. His watch beeped a few seconds later as the digital clock ticked over to one in the morning, ignoring the fact it felt much shorter than an hour. Ruby was in the cafeteria now, Velvet was in the bathroom, Weiss was still in B2-1, Nora was in her room but looked ready to pounce, Pyrrha was in the lobby and the fashionista had yet to move. He flicked through the other rooms idly, using the brief time he had to observe the rooms for anything useful.

It was when he got to Ruby and Weiss' room, that he found something wrong.

The black-clad girl was missing.

Almost as if that was some unforeseen cue, he suddenly heard the sound of something hitting metal, echoing like a tunnel. He looked left and right, even behind him, but found nothing. His eyes snapped up as a thought occurred to him, and his blood ran cold as his cobalt eyes met golden feline ones, peering at him through the vent. He presumed it was the black-clad girl, given how coincidentally timed it was, but that thought was nothing more than an idle observation as he forced his entire body to remain still, like he would die if he moved.

Whether this was the right move or not, the eyes shifted slightly before the person reversed, their eyes fading from view as they left, the sound of echoing metal ringing through the vent. Jaune went momentarily slack as a tense sigh escaped him, cold sweat running down his forehead which he quickly wiped away with the back of his hand. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to recover as the heavy footfalls from the left alerted him to the kind-yet-creepy Spartan. He quickly, almost in a panic, activated the left door and instantly changed to the right camera to check for anyone else incoming. In exchange he was greeted by the sight of a grinning silhouette of Velvet in the hall, hidden behind the small stack of boxes.

As he right door fell he let out another deep sigh, all but crumpling up in his chair as he ran a hand through his hair stressfully. He checked up on the Ruby and Weiss' room, finding the black haired girl back on her bed, a book in hers hands yet her golden eyes staring up at the camera unflinchingly. The busty blonde on the other bed had also moved to the floor, frozen in the position of a press-up, a look of determination on her face. He checked through all the rooms connected to that hallway but found no visible entry point into the ventilation, hell he didn't even know where it started or ended.

He checked his cameras again as he heard heavy footfalls beginning to leave. Pyrrha had lost interest, thankfully, and was now in the hallway and frozen mid-step towards Hall B. Velvet, on the other hand, was still present behind the boxes, albeit she now looked more concealed. That would be an issue later, he was sure. Regardless, after confirming the hallway was empty, he unlocked the left door. A loud bang however reminded him of one ginger he had momentarily forgotten about, the left door coming back down after only being open for a couple of seconds. He needed to only wait two seconds before Nora's footfalls became audible, her body crashing into the door with a thud that made him wince, hoping she didn't feel that.

He checked the right hallway on the camera, finding Velvet to no longer be there, so he pulled up the system panel, about to open the door when he heard breathing and paused, listening. He confirmed it was potentially Velvet's judging from the direction, despite being partially muffled by the door, and checked the cameras. Velvet, oddly, wasn't visible anywhere on the camera yet he could clearly hear her through the door, the same breathless pants as yesterday assuring him of it. Nora didn't leave either, scratching at the door as if to tear her way into the room, not that she was making much, if any progress.

 _CLANG_

The sudden, metallic clang that reached his ears made his heart leap out of his chest, not because of the sound itself, but because of the connotations with it. Slowly he raised his gaze from the tablet in his hands and to the table where he heard the sound, cold dread pooling in his stomach at the sight of an old, rusted scoop spoon sitting on his desk, gently rocking back and forth. Not a moment after he made eye contact with it did he feel a pair of arms wrap around his neck and someone move behind him, warm breath landing on his ear.

Slowly, he turned his head to the side, having to tilt his head only a little bit to stare into the eyes of the person behind him. Mismatched pink and brown heterochromic eyes stared back at him, a mocking smirk plastered onto the woman's features, amusement in her eyes as she balanced a pink parasol over her shoulder, the tip looking frighteningly sharp for a parasol. Silence reigned for several painfully long moments before he found his voice, speaking up quietly.

''Uh... hi?'' He greeted, weakly lifting a hand in a futile attempt at a wave. Instead of suddenly jumping and slaughtering him, she raised a delicate hand up to her mouth, shoulders bent forward slightly and lips tilting up as if imitating snickering. She didn't reply vocally, instead _slowly_ walking around him, their eyes locked the entire time until she came to a stop directly in front of him and took a seat on his desk, smirk still plastered on her face.

 _'Play it cool Jaune, play it cool...'_ He assured himself, taking a breath before asking, ''So... was that you then? With the spoon?''

The mysterious girl tilted her head to the side slightly, gesturing to the rusty scoop spoon in an almost questioning manner.

''Yeah, that one.'' He confirmed, hoping that's what she was asking for. It was, to his relief, as she in turn nodded a confirmation to that. However, that confirmation also brought questions to the forefront of his mind, like who she was, if she was an animatronic, _how_ she got into the room, how she was active before even Ruby or Nora were on the first night, or her actions in the utility tunnel last night. Yet he restrained himself, not wanting to potentially scare her off with the unknown threat of 'bad things' happening.

''So... what's your name?'' He started with, trying to keep his tone casual and mostly succeeding.

In response, the girl raised her free hand and pointed to the brown section of her hair, then the pink half, then to her white jacket. Jaune blinked, confusion visible on his face as he showed he didn't understand. Rolling her eyes, she repeated the gesture but also pointed at the spoon and picking it up, scooping the air and eating it. Suddenly it simply 'clicked' in his head, like he remembered something from a long time ago as the actions registered.

''Neapolitan?'' He asked and the girl nodded, almost happily but held out her fingers and made an 'O' with them, ''Neopolitan?''

She nodded, smiling and holding up three fingers.

''Three letters?'' He asked, getting another nod, ''Neo then?''

She clapped her hands together, nodding once more.

''Right, Neo, I'm Jaune.'' He smiled, holding out a hand to shake. She took it without an inch of hesitation, shaking it briefly before letting it drop. ''So, uh, how'd you get into the room? Is there some secret hatch in here?''

She smirked, raising her hands and curling them into balls before making pseudo-explosions with them. Clearly interpretation was a skill of hers.

''You... exploded?'' He guessed, getting a shake of the head, ''Appeared?''

She nodded, then shook her head, as if to say half-right.

Going out on a limb, he asked, ''Teleported?''

Somehow, he wasn't surprised when she nodded. Her smirk seemed to say she was aware of this.

''Okay... so you can teleport. Are you a ghost then?''

Again, a nod and shake of the head.

''Demon? Angel?'' He guessed, this time getting a flat stare that seemed to say 'really?', ''Okay... so you're ghost, yet not a ghost. Cool. Alright. So are you _not_ under the same 'programming' as the others?''

His response was met by a brief frown, before Neo nodded in agreement. Suddenly she smirked, pointing to something on the wall, a piece of paper that had long since faded into the wallpaper, the ink letters blurred and indecipherable. However, he could thinly make out 'Rules' at the very top in bold, a list of rules presumably under it before time wore them away. She gestured to it before using the pointed tip of her parasol, drawing an 'X' over it.

The message was clear, ''No rules?''

She pointed at herself in response.

''You have no rules?'' He asked, getting another half-correct gesture, ''You don't apply to the rules?''

Her eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly in response.

''So can you tell me what 'bad things happen' means?'' He asked, getting a shrug in response. She raised a hand and twirled her finger around in a universal gesture of 'crazy', making him frown. ''It makes them crazy?''

Neo shook her head, this time running her hands through her hair and messing said hair up, making it slightly frazzled looking.

''It... does something to their brain?'' He guessed, getting another damn nod and shake of the head. Half correct. ''Does it turn them off or something?''

Another nod and shake of the head.

 _'Think, think... machines... what would a machine fear?'_ He wondered in confusion. Before he could draw any conclusions however, the light overhead flickered and his stomach dropped, silently praying it wasn't what he thought it was. Unfortunately it was, the light overhead flickering several more times before turning off. As his tablet beeped a warning about the generator malfunctioning, both of the doors unlocked themselves to his dread. Nobody was on the other side of them luckily, but that didn't mean it was all-clear. As he had thought, the other animatronics were scattered around the building randomly, no clear shot at the tunnel.

He looked back up at Neo, just in time to see her give a mocking smirk and a wave before suddenly she silently shattered into pieces, the glass shards fading into nothingness. He simply sat there in surprise of the sudden... action, before the beeping of his watch brought him back to attention, the clock ticking over to two in the morning. With a grimace he picked up the flashlight and tightened his grip on his tablet before he crept out into the right hallway, his footsteps quick yet quiet. The lobby was empty, yet he was still on edge.

 _Maybe red's like roses? Maybe it's the pool of blood the innocents will lay in when in the end you failed to save them..._

The sound, sung in a smooth, almost condescending tone made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, his muscles tensing as he searched for the sound. The entire room was empty, yet it sounded like the sound was coming from every direction. After a split-second panicked decision he moved over to the small pile of boxes in the closest corner of the room and crouched behind it, muffling his breathing with his hand. The room remained silent sans the gloomy music playing all around, the wind outside muffled harshly by the thick walls. Just as he was about to move, he heard footsteps closing in and tensed up.

Ruby was the one to walk into the open lobby, face locked into a massive grin and unseeing gaze. She walked into the room as if nothing was wrong, her movements neither graceful nor stiff, just a simple, normal stride with her cape flowing behind her. As she went towards the hall closest to him, that being the one he just exited out of, he compacted himself as tightly he could into the limited space, his breathing non-existent. Just as she was about to pass into the hall, as if whatever god was watching over him hated him, his tablet suddenly beeped the same warning about the generator, as if as a reminder. Ruby paused on the spot, and his heart caught in his throat. Slowly, almost painfully slowly, she turned towards the boxes he was hiding behind.

 _BOOM!_

Jaune wasn't the only one who jumped at the loud yet distant boom of thunder, surprising Ruby just as much if the way her head suddenly snapped towards the direction of the sound, that being towards the doors. While he was surprised by the sudden thunder, given there wasn't any forecast for it, he wasn't about to let the opportunity pass by. While Ruby wasn't looking he moved as quickly as he could while still maintaining a hunched over position, ready to dive out of the way and into cover... not that there was much cover in the first place. As he proceeded into Hall B he caught a glimpse of Nora sitting at one of the tables in the cafeteria on the far side, staring blankly ahead with a smile plastered on her face.

He glanced over his shoulder, confirming that Ruby wasn't behind him before he moved over to the utility tunnel. He shone his light down there and found no animatronics lurking aside from the doll one, still in the same position as yesterday. However he was reminded vividly of the 'incident' with Velvet, so he peeked inside the bathroom to make sure nobody was hiding in wait for him, since it seemed like the most likely place someone would be hiding. The temperature in the room was near-freezing, the white tiled walls worn and some parts even revealing the concrete beneath the tiles, several cubicles on the left while the right hand a single large rectangular mirror and several sinks, all of them worn and the mirror slightly damaged, a large crack in the top left.

However what made him freeze on the spot was the animatronic in the room. Velvet was sat on the cold tile floor, her knees up to her chest and her back facing him, her frame slowly rocking back and forth on the spot as indecipherable jumbles of words came from her mouth, quieter than a whisper. He didn't wait around, instead quietly backing up and closing the door with nary a sound, quickly stepping over into the utility tunnel. It was colder than the rest of the building, the air almost oppressive in feeling now that he had a moment to think on it, but then again it was an ominous tunnel in the first place.

Despite his best efforts he still made quiet taps as he walked, his eyes trained on the inactive animatronic next to the generator. He took his time approaching the old machine, crouching down slowly next to it before he interacted with it. After holding down the button the generator fell silent, before spurning back up after he held the button. However it didn't fully spin back up like yesterday, requiring him to repeat the process multiple times before it finally got back online, the dull thrum filling the overbearing silence of the tunnel.

His footsteps tapped along the concrete floor quickly as he made his way down the hall, but froze when he saw the large metal door inch a bit forward, as if someone was behind it. Quickly and haphazardly he searched around him for somewhere to hide, finding the small space behind the pipes as the most appealing spot. The closest space to climb into the space without crawling on his front under it was a small vertical gap, forcing him to bend down while keeping his back straight to fit in through it. The space was even chillier than the rest of the tunnel, the stone slightly damp and the air thicker from said dampness. He wasn't able to stand to his full height, instead left to crouch down behind a particularly thick bunch of pipes, waiting.

It turned out that this was the right move, as the door creaked open barely a minute later. He made out the form of Velvet in the poor lighting, twitching as she walked and almost hiding in the shadows the whole time. Her footsteps were completely silent the whole time she walked, passing him by as he held his breath, but she didn't spare his hiding spot a glance. Her crazed eyes stared straight ahead as she walked, and for a moment he feared she was going for the generator, but she stopped just short of it suddenly, foot raised to take another step. Abruptly, she turned and walked back the way she came, leaving the utility tunnel with haste.

Jaune didn't move immediately, instead waiting half an minute to confirm she was gone before he awkwardly manoeuvred out of the small hiding spot, mentally noting it down for future reference. Flashing his flashlight over the area, a grimace came to his face as he noticed all the mould growing on the walls and the masses of cobwebs in the corners, the concrete stained with liquid and random pieces of broken parts of all colours, mostly white, grey or black. He even saw some insects crawling around to his disgust.

The second he peeked out of the utility tunnel it was like a breath of fresh air, metaphorically and literally. He caught a glimpse of Velvet as she disappeared behind the plastic door that led to the kitchen, to his relief. He crept back into the lobby, finding it empty and a cursory glance at the halls on either side of the office via the camera showed they were also thankfully empty. He didn't want to run in fear of attracting attention before he was ready, so instead settled for a fast but quiet pace, sighing in relief when he found his office to be empty. He all but collapsed into the seat in relief, but that relief soon faded as a quiet squeaking noise reached his ears.

Confused, he looked around, until he recalled a certain golden-eyed animatronic. His head snapped up to the vent grate above his desk, close to the ceiling. Golden eyes peered through the darkness, one of the four screws had come loose and, just a second prior to him staring into those glowing golden eyes, that same screw had been un-screwing itself. However the second eye contact was made she froze and the screw stopped moving, before slowly the golden eyes faded away into the darkness, light thudding showing she was leaving.

 _'So that's it? Stare at her until she leaves?'_ Jaune mused, frowning when he swore he heard something. His eyes went wide as he heard quick but faint footsteps from the right hall, closing in quickly. He flicked to the systems panel, but that was as far as he got before someone crashed into him and sent him flying onto his back. He was blinded by the overhead light for several seconds before a face entered his vision.

Ruby.

His heart dropped when he saw the impossibly wide smile plastered on her face, eyes wide with an almost maniacal glee in them that made him feel terrified. His eyes darted when he caught a flash in his peripherals, his eyes dilating when he saw an old, rusty piece of metal in her hands, held overhead as if to stab through his skull. A twisted giggle escaped her lips, leaning closer to him as if savouring the moment, before she thrust her hand forward.

It stopped suddenly, however, only a few inches from his eye. Her silver eyes... _shifted_ , some life coming back to them and her smile withering away. She seemed confused for a brief moment, before her eyes dilated in a similar expression of fear as he felt. The silence stretched for a painfully long minute, the dull hum from the vents ignored as tears formed in her silver eyes.

''J-Jaune...?'' She whispered, her voice cracking like an old radio, ''O-oh god... I'm s-sorry...''

She stumbled back off of him, nearly falling in the process before she abruptly turned tail and _bolted_ with speed a robot shouldn't be capable of using. Jaune laid there for several long moments, his watch beeping as it clocked over to three but it fell on deaf ears. Several minutes passed before he sat up slowly, his heartbeat returning to normal as his mind processed the near-death experience. He pulled up the camera, finding the gothic-clad girl in one of the empty rooms on the left side, B1-4. It held quite a few boxes and turned-over beds, but his attention was solely on the girl sitting in the very corner of the room, rocking back and forth and crying openly.

 _'Ruby...'_ He thought sadly, making a decision instantly. The danger of other animatronics was a known threat, but he didn't let that stop him as he got up and boldly stormed out of the office and out the left hallway. The lobby was still empty, but the swaying bathroom door eluded that he wasn't alone yet. He hadn't explored the left hall physically until now, although it wasn't much different aside from a few more astray boxes and knocked over objects. Probably because of Nora.

He found B1-4 without problem, being the first door on the right. He hesitated for a brief moment before quashing it instantly, pushing the door open as quietly as possible. The crying quickly became audible, albeit still on the quiet side. His eyes trailed over the multiple stacks of boxes piled up around the room and knocked over closest and upturned beds, before he checked the camera to confirm his position. It wasn't hard to find Ruby, as he just needed to crawl under the upturned bed and around a small pile of boxes, a small triangle-shaped area in the corner of the room, isolated. His heart tightened woefully at the sight of Ruby, the darkness not concealing her shaking shoulders as she sobbed into her cloak.

''Ruby?'' He whispered quietly, making her freeze up.

Silence reigned for a long moment before she finally said in broken voice, ''Jaune...?''

''Yeah... it's me.'' He smiled, even though she couldn't see it. After not getting a response he scooted closer and, after a brief moment of hesitation, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She shifted weakly, as if trying to flee, but didn't put much effort into it.

''I'm sorry Jaune... I couldn't... I...'' Her words failed her as she hiccupped, hands balling into fists by her side

''Hey, it's okay...'' He gave his best assurance, carefully wiping away her tears with his thumb, ''I know you didn't mean it. I don't blame you at all.''

She shuffled closer to him, before wrapping her own arms around his torso in a hug, her body twitching as she repressed her tears. He soothed her as he rubbed circles on her back, patiently waiting for her to calm down. It was hard to tell how much time passed without looking at his watch, but he heard footsteps pad around outside multiple times, although thankfully nobody ever entered. A whole hour must've passed, as his watch beeped again as the time ticked over to four, something that was starting to make Jaune wonder if time simply moved faster when in a panic or worry.

''You feel better now, Ruby?'' He asked softly, getting a nod from the girl.

''M-Mm.'' She hummed, smiling up at as she wiped away her tears, ''Thanks Jaune...''

''Anytime Ruby.'' He flashed a grin at her, ''You wanna come back to the office? I have some cookies I brought with me.''

''Yeah...'' Ruby trailed off, as if she wanted to say something. There was hesitation in her eyes, before resolve filled them and she moved, sitting on his lap before closing the distance between them. Somehow, he wasn't surprised, if anything he felt calm. Her lips were surprisingly soft as they met his own, the scent of roses in the air for the briefest of moments. When they parted both of them sported blushes on their faces, Ruby more-so than Jaune. Still, a smile settled on Ruby's face as she rested her head on his chest.

''Thank you Jaune...'' She murmured happily, adding in such a quiet voice he almost missed it, '' _For everything._ ''

He didn't understand what 'for everything' encompassed, but he was willing to bet it might have something to do with what Pyrrha said. Regardless, he wasn't going to ruin the moment by probing with questions. Silently she got off him, a gentle smile on her face before it morphed into one of an excitable child.

''So~'' She beamed, ''Cookies now?''

He chuckled, ''Sure, cookies now.''

He let Ruby go first, crawling out of her little hiding spot before he followed. After a brief, cautious glance into the hall he found it empty as well as the lobby. Ruby brightly skipped past him as if nothing was wrong, and he guessed there really _was_ no threat to her - unless animatronics went after those who weren't under programming, that is. As he reached the lobby he felt eyes on him. It only took a few seconds to find the source, that being Weiss stood atop the stairs to the right hall, staring down at him unreadably. Without a word she turned and left, ponytail swaying as she left.

Surprisingly, he didn't feel intimidated by her presence. Instead, he found himself internally shrugging and followed after the path Ruby had taken, hearing the sound of a packet tearing and the sound of ravenous eating. As he poked his head in his own office he chuckled at the sight of Ruby sitting on the radiator, the bag of cookies torn open at the top and several already missing from the packet. He was mildly surprised though to see Nora also present, sitting in the corner cheerfully nibbling on a cookie herself. Her expression brightened when she saw him.

''Hey Jaune!'' Nora beamed, ''I was looking for you for _ages_! Where were you?''

''I was, uh...'' He paused, looking at Ruby for an excuse, to which Ruby shrugged, ''Looking for Ruby.''

''Aw.'' She pouted, ''You went on an adventure without me?''

''Er, I wouldn't really call it an adventure.'' He smiled wryly.

''Yes, it was more like a five minute journey.'' A new and familiar voice spoke up behind him, making him jump and turn to face Pyrrha. She greeted him with a warm smile, as if amused by his reaction.

He smiled back, ''Hey Pyrrha, you okay now?''

''Yes.'' She answered shortly, nodding as she followed him into the room and taking a seat on the radiator next to Ruby, taking the offered cookie with a grateful smile. After a brief check on the cameras, he frowned as he saw Velvet in the lobby, her shadowy form hidden behind the same boxes he hid behind from Ruby. After a moment of decision, and checking his power, finding it still above halfway, closed both the left and the right door just so he could relax a bit.

''So... question, about Velvet.'' He began, gaining the other three's attention, ''Does she mess with the generator, or hang around there often?''

It was a simple test-the-water question. While he wasn't comfortable asking Ruby, especially not after their... _moment_ , Pyrrha and Nora might be more willing. It would also help him understand the boundaries of what he could ask.

''She does stay around that area, yes.'' Pyrrha smiled, as if the question was perfectly fine, ''However I have not heard of her interfering with the power generator.''

 _'Okay, that's something.'_ He nodded, mentally noting that down, ''What about Weiss?''

''I haven't seen her go into the tunnels often either.''

 _'So it might be a place to flee to if Weiss tries to kill me.'_ He mused silently.

Nora spoke up, ''Blake has gone in there though.''

''Blake?'' He blinked, perplexed.

''That'd be me.'' A new voice intervened, making him jump on the spot. Turning around in his chair, he found the almost cat-like girl sitting on his desk nonchalantly reading a book in her hands, golden eyes focused solely on the book. Looking up, he found that the vent was completely unlocked, the four screw lying on the desk neatly, as if she had gathered them up after entering.

''So you were the one who kept trying to get in through the vent?'' He asked, watching her flinch discreetly before nodding, ''Well at least I can put a name to a face then.''

''Mm.'' She merely hummed.

His watch beeped, much to his bewilderment, which he decided to vocalise, ''Weird... time flies, huh?''

Every single one of them, almost in perfect unison, shifted uncomfortably at his words. He didn't comment on it, pretending to fiddle with his watch for a few moments before sighing and shaking his head. The time that passed, however, was something that was becoming a growing concern to him. At first he thought it was simply it passing without him noticing, but now it was going _too fast_.

However another question rose to the forefront of his mind, and he was willing to take a gamble for the answer.

''Pyrrha.'' He address the Spartan directly, getting an inquisitive look from the girl, ''Yesterday, before you left, you said 'Please remember'... what'd you mean?''

Instead of the sad, scared, torn or unreadable expressions he expected, he instead got a confused expression. ''Come again?''

''You said 'please remember'.'' He repeated, this time confused himself. He had clearly heard that.

''I don't recall saying anything like that.'' Pyrrha frowned, shaking her head, ''Are you sure it wasn't Ruby or Nora?''

''No, they were out the room at the time.'' He denied, turning to look at Blake, ''Was it you Blake?''

''Hm?'' The girl looked up from her book, ''I wasn't active yesterday.''

''Oh, then why-'' He froze as the words registered. ''Wait... if you weren't in the vents, then who was?''

The golden-eyed girl blinked, ''I... do not understand.''

''The ventilation kept stopping or being blocked, like when you're in the vents.'' He explained briefly, ''If you weren't in the ventilation yesterday, then who was?''

''I... wouldn't know.'' Blake murmured. Whether or not she was lying was up for debate, but a glance at his friends around him showed they were hiding something themselves judging from the poorly-hidden guilt on their faces, so it was possible Blake was just good at hiding it.

Sighing, he asked, ''Can you at least tell me where the entry to the vents are?''

''Rooms B1-3, B1-4, B2-1 and B2-2.'' Blake responded smoothly, ''The ventilation system is connected to the elevator shaft, so it takes some skill to cross it.''

 _'Skill that an animatronic shouldn't have.'_ He mentally frowned, not wanting to let it show on his face. Still, it was useful information to have, both to help unravel this strange mystery while also letting him know the location of the vents, meaning he could check those cameras and possibly 'prepare' for her. Although the amount of preparation is harshly limited of what could be done.

''I see.'' He simply verbalised, holding back on his questions. A brief silence ensued, which was quickly broken by Pyrrha.

''Ah, Jaune?'' She asked, ''I almost forgot to mention that, er, Velvet wanted to... apologise for her actions yesterday. She wasn't in control at the time.''

''I figured as much. I don't hold it against her.'' He smiled. While it had been obvious from their statements yesterday that she wasn't sane-of-mind, it was nice to get an apology out of her, that she really did feel some remorse for it. His attention was grabbed as he heard the sounds of someone moving in the vents, only to find Blake in the process of climbing back in, coincidentally giving him a perfect view of her behind. Discreetly looking away and fighting the blush that threatened to flush his cheeks, he turned his attention to Pyrrha, who was in the process of leaving from the looks of it.

''Well I believe it is time we take our leave.'' Pyrrha smiled, giving a smile at Jaune as he opened the doors before leaving rather quickly. He didn't have time to ponder it before Ruby suddenly jumped him, hugging him.

''Thanks for the cookies Jaune!'' Ruby beamed happily, a light blush dusting her cheeks as she gave a mocking salute, ''Bring some more tomorrow!~''

With her words said, she took off out the door, presumably back to her room. Turning his eyes on the final occupant of the room, he smiled lightly at the sight of the childish pout coming from Nora. He held his arms out in a gesture for a hug, making her pout immediately shift to her trademark grin as she ensnared him in her own, if slightly tight hug. Still he obliging returned the hug, blushing when she gave him a peck on the cheek.

''See you tomorrow!'' Nora smiled cheekily.

''Er, yeah.'' He mumbled, unable to completely hide the blush that threatened to cover his whole face. After the ginger animatronic left he was left with the silence of the room, the ventilation humming, droning in his head. He counted the seconds in his head, almost reaching a single minute before his watch went off, followed by the distant creaking of the main doors. He narrowed his eyes at his watch for a brief moment before shaking his head and dismissing the confusing time frame. Collecting up the tablet and flashlight, he headed towards the front doors, the fresh morning air blowing through.

As he got close to the door he found not one, but _two_ notes that looked to be left by Weiss. However the variation in the paper was starkly different, for one the piece with Weiss' strange toothpick in it was pristine A4, while the other one was an old yellow-ish colour, almost stone-like. Picking the more pristine one first, he read it.

 _ **I spent entire night holding back the others, so feel thankful. I won't be able to do it tomorrow however, so I wish you luck from 'her' wrath. Be beware of the 'Jailer' though, they are more dangerous than you believe.**_

The second note, however, was _far_ more ominous.

 ** _tHey smElL your Pain_**

Unbeknownst to him, a figure grinned around the corner from him, before stalking away.

* * *

 **A/N: It's eight in the morning now, and I've finished it. I meant to post this at 1am... but my internet decided now was the best time to crash... JOY.**

 **On a more serious note, I feel like this chapter was sub-par. Anyone else feel that? Might just be because I'm tired as hell right now, but it just doesn't feel good enough, but I won't be re-writing it, it took long enough as it did. Sorry about that. I'll come check over for any extra grammatical errors when I wake up (roughly 4pm). Although the chapter clocked in at 7200 words, the longest one yet.**

 **Still! Mystery! Spookiness! Hints! Developments! Jokes aside, there's quite a few hints and secrets in this chapter, as in past chapters. Have fun guessing them~**

 **Also, for a little fun, eleven were active - seven were seen, three weren't 'active' and one remains unknown.**

 **Again, thank you to all who reviewed and shared their guesses. It's nice to see people enjoying it as much as they are.**

 **Now if you don't mind me, I'm going to go pass out now. Till next time(Interlude 2)!**


	6. Interlude Two

**A/N: Had to re-do this chapter twice 'cause it didn't save for some reason, so I had to change programs to write. It's a bit on the shorter side because of that, but also because it's more of an interlude than the last one. I'll try and get the next night out sooner than a week.**

 **I DO NOT OWN RWBY**

* * *

 _ **Interlude 2**_

* * *

The Vale Cross hospital was abuzz with activity, as was usual for a hospital of such size. Jaune strolled through the pristine white hallways as he made his way into the ICU section of the hospital, passing by doctors, nurses and patients as he did so, a few even saying hello to him. He returned the greetings cheerfully, idly commenting on the painters that were within the main room, re-doing the smooth ivory walls with ruby reds, lush greens and deep blues. According to the woman at the desk, it was because the owner wanted to 'brighten' the place up. So far, it looked good.

Unfortunately, the fact they were also going to do the resident's rooms meant his time was going to be limited. Still, he was sure Hazel would be happy about it, as she always preferred the brighter colours compared to the bland white of the hospital. The fact she got a TV in the room was more of a commodity than anything else, half of the cost coming from his pocket and the other half from several charity foundations for kids. Summer Foundation or something if he recalled correctly.

He dismissed the thoughts as he entered his sisters assigned room, finding it lacking several items of furniture, probably because of the whole painting thing. That theory was supported by the several pieces of old newspaper on the ground near the walls. Hazel's bed, with her in it, had been moved to the centre of the room along with the machinery needed, said machinery situated atop mobile tables. The TV was still mounted on the wall, since it wasn't directly attached to the wall they were probably going to just paint under it, however awkward that may be.

Smiling as he entered, Jaune spoke up, ''Hey sis.''

''Hi Jaune.'' Hazel greeted back with a smile, before it turned slightly mischievous, ''Bring any more chocolate?''

He shook his head, ''Nah, sorry.''

''Aw... bring some more next time?''

''I'll try.'' He smiled wryly, internally sighing. He'd like to, really he would, but things such as rent came first and buying meagre food for survival came second, with the monthly hospital bill having to be taken into account also. At least the large sum at the end of the week would allow him to cater to Hazel's whims easier.

''So~ how's work?'' Hazel asked curiously.

''It's...'' _Terrifying? Strange? Confusing? Worrying? Mysterious?_ ''...nice.''

''Uh-huh.'' She deadpanned, clearly wanting a better description than two words.

''Well... it's a little unnerving at times, hearing noises and stuff randomly. Creepy.'' He half-lied, unwilling to tell her of what his job genuinely entailed. Plus he was pretty sure there would be something on the contract he signed preventing him. ''My... _co-workers_ , are eccentric but nice. Ruby's got a sweet tooth like you it seems, cheerful kind of girl. Nora is similar, albeit a bit more eccentric and bubbly. Pyrrha is kind, a little socially inept like me, or maybe just nervous. Weiss is... cold and I haven't had much of her during my time so far. One of my other co-workers, Velvet, is... shy and I haven't seen her often either. I've met Blake, who's quiet and seems to like reading a lot. Er... we also have a mute colleague too, Neo. She's good at interpretation, which can be hard to understand at times, but she's nice.''

Hazel grinned when he finished, ''Ooh~ So your the only guy there?''

He opened his mouth to reply, trying to ignore the insinuation she was making, when it occurred to him what she said. All of the animatronics he'd seen were female. Unless there were other ones he hadn't seen yet, he could assume they were all female. That was... odd, unusual even. If anything, that made him ponder the true nature of Beacon even more.

Realising he had yet to reply, he quickly added, ''Y-Yeah, to my knowledge.''

''Hehe, you'll have to fight them off with a stick.'' Hazel joked lightly.

''Right...'' He sweat-dropped, ''So, are they painting your room too?''

''Yep.'' She confirmed, ''They're supposed to be doing my room after they do the main one. I even get to choose the colours!''

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, ''Just don't pick anything you'll regret.''

''So no pink, no purple, and definitely no white.'' Hazel smiled, seemingly noting that down in her head. Jaune opened his mouth to speak when Hazel suddenly bent over, coughing harshly into her hand, her shoulders shaking. He waited, unsure of her sudden coughing fit, when it got more violently and her coughs turned into wheezing hacks and splutters. He nearly turned to leave and get a nurse when luckily one came in, possibly having heard the sounds.

''Oh my, more coughing again Hazel?'' The woman sighed, quickly walking over and rubbing the girl's back.

Slightly confused, bewildered and worried, Jaune spoke up, ''What's wrong with her?''

''I'm afraid we aren't entirely sure.'' The unnamed nurse explained, ''It started a few days ago. It doesn't last long, thankfully, but it usually ends up leaving her a little sore in the abdomen and chest. We're looking into anything that can help it, but we're limited on what we can do due to her being paralysed. If I remember correctly she should be scheduled for an X-Ray in a few hours from now.''

''I... see...'' He murmured uncertainly as the nurse speed-walked out. He hovered next to his sister awkwardly as she practically coughed her lungs out, wheezing in air in between. The only guesses he had was she caught a bug or something, since he couldn't recall any mentions of someone paralysed below the waist suddenly catching a bad cough. Thankfully it didn't last much longer, her coughs dying down and leaving her rasping with a pained look on her face. The second the nurse returned with water she gulped it down greedily, breathing heavily.

Speaking up gently, he asked simply, ''You okay?''

''Y-Yeah.'' She nodded, biting her lips momentarily, ''I'll be fine.''

She lowered her hand, where he spied what looked worryingly like blood, but held his tongue, ''...right.''

* * *

The Grand Valean Library. The largest and most advanced library in all of Vale, or at least the most advanced _public_ library. It was a grand neo-gothic building, several stories high and with large windows, multiple floors that held an uncountable amount of books of all kinds. It was awe-inspiring even after having seen it dozens of times before, it was simply that impressive on sheer design alone. Despite the moderate amount of people walking about or reading in the building, it was near-silent, yet not in an ominous or creepy way, instead in a peaceful and almost welcoming way.

He walked into the large open front, pausing briefly before heading to the left towards the computers, each situated inside a small booth for a small amount of privacy. Several people were using them, but there were also still a few left unused for the moment. He took a seat inside and booted the computer up, shuffling as it went through the basic start-up sequence and automatically logged in, bringing up the DustNet for him to use.

 _'Okay, let's try... Beacon Academy.'_ He tried, typing it into the search browser.

It took a few seconds to load before coming up with a long list of results, most of them completely unrelated to what he searched. After a few minutes of riffling through the results, he came up with an old news article on an archiving website. It detailed about an old academy building, Beacon he presumed, that was shut down eighty years ago. Fifty years ago it was set to be demolished in wake of an industrial district, only for the council to repeatedly hold it off in wake of budget cuts. Over, and over, and over until eventually it was just set to be used as storage until the required money was gained.

 _'Maybe that explains why animatronics are stored there...'_ He mused, before his eyes narrowed, _'But if its storage, where did they come from...?'_

He moved to type it up, when suddenly the computer turned off. Not shut down, just turned off like someone pulled the plug. If the confused murmurings from the others around him and the lights suddenly going out overhead, it must be something wrong with the power. He felt eyes on him, but when he looked around nobody was specifically looking at him, instead just looking around in confusion. He shrugged it off; it must just be his nerves.

His attention was grabbed as he heard the sound of static, before someone spoke over a modernized intercom, _''Sorry about that everybody! Something has gone wrong with the power system, we think it might be something at the power station nearby, so power will be out until they get that sorted. We'll be closing at 9PM because of this! That is all!''_

 _'That's ominous...'_ He mused as he got up to leave, before shaking the thought off instantly.

His job was just making him paranoid.

* * *

Evening was setting in at full, the sun having nearly fallen behind the horizon and casting long purple and orange hues across the sky. Lampposts glowed a golden colour across the flagstone pathways and lush green grass. The temperature had lowered a fair bit since earlier on in the day, leaving him to shudder slightly in his coat, thrown over his guard uniform in preparation for work. He carried several flowers bought from a nearby flower shop, catching the store minutes before it closed for the night thankfully.

He soon came to a stop in front of his destination, lowering down to a crouch as he placed his hand on the cold stone.

 _Juniper Arc, Loving Mother and Wife. Died Age 45._

 _John Arc, Loving Father and Husband. Died Age 47._

 _Caramel Arc, Cherished Eldest Sister. Died Age 28._

 _Nebula Arc, Beloved Sister. Died Age 26._

 _Rose Arc, Beloved Sister. Died Age 26._

 _Sangre Arc, Beloved Sister. Died Age 23._

 _Noire Arc, Beloved Sister. Died Age 21._

 _Magenta Arc, Beloved Sister. Died Age 15._

 _''For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, I protect thee.'' - Julius Arc, Father of John Arc, Died Age 80._

''Hey guys.'' Jaune smiled, his smile tinted heavily by sadness as he gently laid the flowers done upon the large grave. ''I know... I haven't come by recently.''

Silence met his excuse, yet he could almost see Magenta and Noire chastising him for not doing so, Caramel and his mother discarding his excuse and giving him a warm smile. He could almost see it.

That only made it hurt more.

''Hazel and I have been good. She's still paralysed, but she's still got that upbeat attitude of hers.'' He paused, collecting his words, ''I've gotten another job too - Night Guard. Funny, I know, but it's actually kinda pleasant. It can be... unnerving and stressful at times, but my... 'colleagues' are helpful, if a bit eccentric. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Neo, Velvet, Nora and Pyrrha are there names. There's a few others but I haven't met them yet.''

A gust of wind blew by, a quiet chuckle escaping him as it passed, as if it was his family speaking to him.

''Yeah, I'm the only guy there.'' He smiled, rolling his eyes, ''Hazel made that joke too.''

Silence reigned.

''Hazel... she's gotten a cough or something I think.'' He spoke up sombrely, ''The doctors aren't sure what it is from the looks of it. Might be a viral infection. Coughing badly, wheezing and hacked up some blood. I... I hope she's okay. I know she'll pull through it, she's stubborn like that, but...''

His voice left him, a shaky breath escaping him.

''But... I-I'm afraid I'll lose her... just like I lost you.'' He whispered, fingers digging into the grass slightly.

Another breeze blew by, making his form shudder as it felt far, far colder to him, like the world was reminding him of his failure.

''I'm sorry I didn't get home quick enough.'' He whispered as his eyes stung, rapid blinking holding the dam back, ''Maybe if I hadn't stalled so long, or maybe if I had been there, I could've protected you...''

A pause.

He chuckled hollowly, ''Yeah... if dad couldn't do anything, what good would I have been? Cannon fodder at best... but maybe I could've distracted him long enough for even one of you to escape...''

 _Blood... so much blood..._

He shook the mental image away harshly, bringing up the back of his hand to wipe away the waterworks, ''And here I am crying like a kid. Guess what you said was true, Sangre... I'm just a little kid in an older body.''

''I don't think that's true.'' A new, calming voice suddenly interrupted his grieving. A gentle hand landed on his shoulder and he turned, looking up into silver eyes that looked surprisingly familiar. ''We all grieve the loss of our loved ones. Regardless of the how or why, there is no shame in letting your feelings out, especially not when speaking to a grave.''

She smiled, black hair with red tips blending in with the night sky behind her, ''I may not know you, but what I do know is that they wouldn't judge you for something out of your control.''

He blinked, before slowly saying, ''I... guess. Have I met you before, b-by the way?''

She tilted her head slightly, ''No, I don't believe we have. Why?''

''Er, you just look... familiar, is all.'' He replied uncomfortably, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head as he collected himself.

''I get that a lot.'' She smiled, patting him on the shoulder, ''Well I better go now. Have a pleasant night, and remember my words.''

''...I will.'' He nodded, watching her walk away and out of the cemetery. Pondering on her words, he felt... eased, almost. Like she was speaking from experience. He swallowed and took a deep breath, mulling over her words as he gently patted the gravestone in front of him.

''Would... would you blame me, guys?''

A breeze blew by, but unlike the others this one was warm, comforting.

''Guess not.'' He smiled, patting the gravestone one more time in way of saying goodbye before he got to his feet, following the pathway back towards the exit of the cemetery. He still had plenty of time before work, so he could afford to take a long walk.

 _'She's looks similar to Ruby...'_ He realised as he made the connection, _'...just with a white cloak instead of a red one.'_

So lost in thought he didn't notice the eyes watching him from the treeline nearby, a grin stretching on the figure's face as they turned and slowly made their way back the way he came...

...back towards the hospital.

* * *

 **A/N: Bam.**

 **I actually got a long boost of concentration in this. Right now, as of writing this authors note, it is 00:45 in the morning of Saturday (UK time). In today (that is, Friday) I got like 2100 of the 2800 words done in one long session, which is good 'cause I really struggled with it in the past few days. Writers block I believe. So I got a lot of work into one nice big chunk.**

 **This chapter, as with the interludes, are almost completely focused on plot and not on the 'horror' elements of the fic, as I've previously stated. There's a lot of subtle hints, not-so-subtle hints and one or two really subtle hints in this chapter. Questions, intrigue and emotions.**

 **Also, since I got this done at 00:45, and I normally go to bed at 7AM-7:30AM, I have another six-seven hours to get more work done, so I'll be working on that right away while I still have the concentration ability.**

 **Tally ho~!**


	7. Night Four

**A/N: There was a bit of miscommunication last chapter, as I was informed through a PM, that being at the end the little hint said 'made their way back the way he came', and the reader was confused if that meant back the way Jaune came or back the way the mysterious figure came. I meant the former, that being the figure went back the way Jaune went, I.E. the hospital. Sorry for the confusion.**

 **On another, slightly ironic note, updates will unfortunately be slower after my visit to the hospital. Slipped on some ice and fractured by right arm, specifically my wrist. Because of that its a lot harder to write with my left hand (which is weaker than my right) and I still have work and such, thus meaning I'll have less time to write. It shouldn't be as long as this update (most of the time was simply getting used to the incapacitation and getting off painkillers) but it will still be longer than usual. Sorry.**

 **I DONT OWN RWBY**

* * *

 _ **Night Four**_

* * *

The metal doors creaked open slowly, letting out a quiet groan like an old beast, its maw opening wide as it revealed the same old dusty lobby. The burgundy carpet as strangely fresh as normal, the faded ivory wallpaper slightly torn in places, the rusted elevator doors slightly ajar, the broken lights overhead swaying in the faint breeze and the wood creaking under his feet. He was slightly hesitant to walk away because, despite everything, the prospect of the doors closing after a murderer or something walked in and he was trapped in with them. Animatronics who wanted to kill him was one thing, a smart human being was another.

Eventually he (reluctantly) shook off his worry, walking inside to the middle of the room. As he stood in the middle of the lobby he caught sight of another pristine white note with the strange toothpick holding it up, the note pinned to the wall left of the left staircase. Approaching it, he gently pulled the toothpick out and dropped it on the floor, holding the note under the light of his flashlight to see it better.

 _ **We need to talk.**_

Suddenly a lithe hand grabbed his arm, nimble fingers wrapping around his forearm in a deceptively tight grip. He was abruptly yanked off to the side, falling through the library doors and leaving him to fall on his back. He blinked slowly, stunned as he stared around the room where no camera was. The room was... _ginormous_ , and that still felt like an understatement. It was much longer than he thought possible, with a smoothly curving ceiling. Rows upon rows upon rows of bookshelves lined both the left and right, both in various states of disrepair, some even outright destroyed. Scrap pieces of paper old and new littered the floor of the expansive room, tables out in the open area that was between the bookshelves with outdated holo-screen computers on them, almost all of them destroyed.

Movement in front of him caught his eye, and he froze at the sight of Weiss. She regarded him coolly, her face locked into an unreadable look, her eyes reflecting absolutely nothing of what she was thinking or feeling. After a painfully long minute, she simply gave a slight incline of the head.

''Hello, Arc.''

Jaune smiled hesitantly, ''H-Hey Weiss.''

''Hmph, as unconfident as usual.'' She huffed in an almost dismissive manner, before giving him a piercing stare, ''We're limited on time, as the others will be moving soon.''

''Er... right.'' He said uncertainly, giving her a confused look, ''Aren't _you_ supposed to be... 'under the programming' too?''

Weiss gave him a slightly confused look, before realisation dawned, then annoyance settled on her face, ''Is _that_ what they told you?''

''Y-Yeah...?''

''Those idiots...'' Weiss face-palmed, the sight mildly amusing, ''I am _not_ and never have been under it. Those idiots probably just presume I am.''

''Well you were quite... ice cold... to me.'' He shrugged, confusion dawning when her eye suddenly began twitching.

''...was that a pun?'' She asked in a low voice thick with irritation.

''No...?'' He hoped it was the right answer, and was relieved when it seemed to be, as she sighed quietly, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Lowering her hand, he caught her muttering, ''I get enough of those from Yang as it is.''

Silence reigned for only a scant few seconds, where he used the time to stand up, before she spoke up, her tone lower and quieter, almost sombre, ''You have questions. Ask.''

He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. What would he ask? He had uncountable amounts of things to ask. Why were they here? Where were they created? Why do they seem so life-like? Why were they unable to speak on certain things? What were 'bad things'? Who or _what_ was Neo? There were many things on his mind, so much so for a few moments he made an 'uh' sound as his tongue simply flopped about, trying to form too many sounds at once. Still, Weiss stood patiently, waiting for him to speak which he appreciated.

He took a few moments to compose himself, before asking, ''Are you really animatronics?''

Weiss remained silent for a long moment, before tilting her head to the side, ''Are humans really humans?''

That left him completely befuddled, ''...what?''

''What defines an animatronic?'' She asked, pinning him with a piercing stare, ''A robot? Robot attitude, or disposition? To have a body of one? In effect, are humans really human, or something else?''

''I'm... not sure what you're getting at.'' Jaune replied helplessly.

Weiss sighed, ''Of course not... you only had a mind fit for tactics after all.''

She muttered the latter half, but despite clearly having heard it, he pretended he didn't.

''Regardless, since we don't have time I'll just have to give you the best explanation I can.'' She said, slowly beginning to walk back and forth, ''Bear with me here. What... is this?''

She punctuated that statement by slapping her hand down onto the nearest table to her, pointing harshly towards the broken computer monitor, the screen shattered in the middle and the frame bent slightly. Despite that, it was clearly a computer monitor, which led him to believe that she was either not entirely sane, had some mental issue, or didn't understand what it was. Maybe she just had poorer vision that him, or maybe she just didn't know?

Either way, he answered, ''It's a computer monitor.''

''And what are they normally connected to?''

Frowning, he replied, ''A computer?''

''Correct.'' She confirmed, much to his confusion and mild unease. ''What does a computer run on?''

''...electricity?''

Weiss glared, ''No, you idiot. Well, it does, but that's not my point!''

''Well just say what you're trying to say.'' He shot back, frowning when she looked away, ''You can't, can you?''

Weiss nodded, hesitating almost, before speaking.

''No, I cannot. I can, however, elude. Spin the truth, let you discover it.'' She explained, turning her gaze on the ceiling, her face set back in an unreadable expression, ''What is something that is within a cage, Jaune?''

 _'That's the first time she's called me that.'_ He noted, but didn't question it. ''Er... a prisoner?''

''Close.'' She murmured, ''Verb, past tense.''

A past tense verb for a prisoner? That left him slightly empty-handed as he wracked his brain for something even slightly similar to it. Gentle creaks or swishes kept making him flinch and broke his concentration, his eyes constantly darting back to the old wooden doors of the library. As his eyes flicked around the room he spotted, to his worry, the exit of a ventilation shaft hanging nearby, just to the right of the librarians desk. It was jutted out slightly from the wall, stale air lazily blowing into the strangely large room. Shaking his observations off, he focused again, shaking his brain for an answer.

He found it soon enough, ''Trapped?''

Weiss smiled, a beautiful one despite how small it was, ''Correct.''

''You guys are... trapped, then?'' He guessed, getting a pleased nod in return. ''What does it have to do with computers?''

''What do they run on? Not directly, but internally.''

What does a computer run on? Lots of things, especially since many computers ran on many individual pieces that formed together into a single cohesive machine. However, it was also narrowed down by what she had previous said. It wasn't electricity and he was doubtful it was something like a motherboard or fan, so that reduced the number of possibilities sharply. Going through a mental list, he finally settled on, ''Hardware?''

''Close.'' She pressed, staring at the door behind him intently.

''...A System?''

''Yes!'' Weiss beamed, before coughing into her hand awkwardly and returning to her frosty expression, ''What is this place?''

''Beacon.'' He answered without hesitation, slowly drawing connections in his head. Trapped, System and Beacon. ''You guys are trapped here at Beacon because of a system?''

Weiss nodded, but before any more conversation could continue the sound of metal thudding reached his ears, making him tense up. The ventilation shaft. Both of them remained silent as the sound of someone moving in the vents banged through the walls, passing by and fading from hearing. Still, he had no doubt Blake was the one in the shaft, waiting for him. He cast a worried glance back at Weiss, who quietly sighed and made a shooing gesture.

''Go.'' She stated in a dismissive tone, ''We'll talk later. Remember my words.''

Swallowing his questions, he silently nodded and moved towards the door. When he reached it he paused, the desire to say something, anything, prominent in his gut. Something of an assurance to her, like a... promise.

''Don't worry, Weiss.'' He smiled back at her in what he hoped was a confident smile, ''I may not understand what the hell is going on here, but I swear on the Arc name I'll save you guys, all of you.''

With his (slightly embarrassing) words said, he pulled open the door and walking back into the lobby, hearing her mumble something to herself but not catching the words, though he did catch the words 'Arc' and 'Word'. Shrugging that off, he had to remind himself where he was, but also the threat of Blake in the vents. He quickened his stride as fast as he dared, holding up the tablet and quickly flicking through the cameras as quickly as possible. Nora was partially out of her normal position, Pyrrha was still in her starting position, Ruby was slightly out of place, Weiss was missing obviously, Blake was... there, oddly enough and the blonde was still in place. Velvet and the fashionista were also in place. Of course, Neo was nowhere to be found.

Entering the office his eyes immediately went to the ventilation. Nobody was there, but a screw was missing from it, instead lying on his desk rocking back and forth. Pushing the small metal object to the side slightly, he took a seat in his chair and pulled up the tablet again, flicking through the cameras watchfully.

 _'Is it me or is it hotter tonight?'_ He wondered idly, hooking the thumb inside his collar to let in some air, _'Dustier too.'_

A loud bang reached his ears and the left door closed a moment later. He had to wait several seconds before he heard Nora crash into it, unsurprising given he had been more prepared this time. A quick check showed that Ruby was now in the top right hall and Pyrrha was frozen in place closer to the door. He adjusted himself in the chair slightly, checking the left hall camera to find Nora gone before finding her in the lobby. The left door slide back open in tandem with a quiet bang throughout the building, so subtle he might've missed it had he not been looking at the cafeteria camera at that very moment. The door swung wide open as a figure, likely Velvet, near-blurred out of the room and into the shadows, her form invisible to the camera until she popped up on the far side of the room.

 _'She's fast.'_ He mused internally, briefly distracted by his watch beeping to one in the morning. Not surprising given he had spent an unknown amount of time speaking with Weiss.

His attention was drawn away from the other animatronics, however, as a harsh metallic _groaning_ sound echoing throughout the building, much louder than the doors. He flicked the cameras frantically, barely pausing for half a second to check each one. Bedrooms, empty. Halls, empty. Cafeteria and kitchen, empty. He found the source of the ear-tearing sound in the lobby where, to his intense unease, found the elevator doors slowly being pried open. Footfalls in the hall to his right alerted him that that someone was coming to the right, and a couple taps later the right door fell. He pulled up the right camera, finding Ruby halfway down the hall, smile wide and terrifying.

He paused as he heard soft thumps against on metal, his eyes darting up to the vent. For a few seconds he didn't see anything, before a pair of golden eyes crawled into view. He met them silently, staring into the pools of bright gold, almost like a cat as they stared back. A few seconds later they slowly faded back into the darkness as she backed up, disappearing into the darkness of the vent. He let out a sigh of relief, before the metallic groaning suddenly stopped, and so did his heart for a brief second. He all but yanked up the tablet, instantly flicking to the lobby camera, only to find the elevator doors pried wide open, yet nobody inside the elevator cart within. Just staring at them doors torn asunder sent an unnerving shiver down his back.

Soft tapping in the left hall made him tense up reflexively, closing the respective door instantly before pulling up the camera. Standing outside the door was a woman - animatronic - he had never seen before, with piercing emerald eyes a different shade than Pyrrha's, blonde hair done up in a tight bun and a business skirt with white blouse, her heels formal yet smooth looking. Her eyes scanned the door, as if judging its presence as real, before she suddenly held out a hand. For a moment, nothing happened, before an unnatural glow came from it-

-and the door began to rise.

His eyes snapped wide open at the sudden feat of... whatever it was, an override command? His heart was stuck in his throat as he pulled up his tablet, checking every room on the cameras in the span of a few seconds, before unlocking the right door. Without looking back he bolted down the hall, diving into cover behind the boxes in the lobby. He hastily grabbed several boxes and pulled them into more convenient positions for hiding behind before lying on his stomach, the tablet in his face. There was no camera in the office, but he watched from the left hall's camera as she pulled the door halfway up with her invisible commands before it automatically slid the rest of the way up, letting her access to the room.

Part of her was obscured behind the doorframe as she entered, but he could see her looking around in puzzlement for a few moments before huffing and leaving through the right door, towards the lobby where he was hidden. As he heard her footfalls get closer he held his breath, holding the tablet against the floor to prevent light from escaping. He caught the top of her head walking past his fort of boxes in a steady stride that carried her into Hall B. He waited until her footsteps drowned out before he let out a sigh of relief.

Too soon, it seems, as a pair of hands rested on his shoulders and a body pressed up against his back.

''H-Hey Jaune...'' The shy yet breathy voice of Velvet brushed up against his ear.

''Nope!'' He declared, shooting up, picking up a nearby open box, and then dropping it on her head and bolting it back to the office. In any other situation he might have felt bad about dropping a box on someone's head, regardless of how heavy or light it was, but after his last experience with the bunny girl... yeah, no. He wasn't taking any chances with her.

He burst into the room, briefly pausing to scan the span of the room for any dangers, before activating the right door, letting it close behind him. He briefly checked the left hall before dropping himself down into his chair with a sigh. Despite his desire to take a few moments to relax, his desire to _live_ won out and he pulled up the tablet once more. Ruby was standing in the middle of the lobby, head tilted to the side slightly and eyes off-centre, as if staring at something he didn't see. Blake was in their bedroom, locked in her starting position. Weiss still wasn't visible on the cameras. Velvet was peeking out of the bathroom and the fashionista was still in place. Pyrrha was in the top-left hallway and Nora was in her starting position. The new, unknown blonde woman was stood in the cafeteria, staring into the camera piercingly, accusingly.

He frowned, it felt like he missed someone... his eyes widened.

The blonde next to Blake was missing.

He flicked through the cameras, finding the unknown (other) blonde. She stood on the right staircase, but unlike what normally happened she didn't freeze in place, instead she continued walking. Her face was set in a menacing smile, lilac eyes seemingly becoming red every now and again. She went down the left hall, crossing over the lobby and past Ruby in the process, and didn't stop even after he closed the left door. Instead she continued on, pausing in front of the door and her eyes trailing it over, much like the other blonde.

''You think _this_ is gonna save you, Vomit Boy?'' She asked, her voice sweet. Saccharine-sweet.

She reared her fist back and slammed it into the door, causing a deafening _bang_ to hit his eardrums, followed by another, and another, and another. He held his breath as he waited, the prospect of her _breaking down_ the door terrifying. He pulled up his tablet and hastily checked the right hall. Unfortunately, Velvet was there, partially hidden behind some boxes with her crazed grin locked on her shadowed face. He was trapped.

The harsh banging soon came to an end, leaving heavy breathing in its wake, as if someone had run a marathon. Considering she just wailed on a metal door for nearly a full minute, it was no surprise. He waited in tense silence, his eyes locked onto the door, just waiting for the metal to suddenly break and his death to come in and slaughter him into a pile of mush. Thankfully, it was not to be.

''You got lucky this time, Vomit Boy.'' She said lowly, her heavy footfalls laced with anger as she trudged away. He followed her through the cameras, watching her storm through the lobby and past a frozen Pyrrha, heading towards the cafeteria. He didn't bother opening either of the doors, instead flicking through the cameras to check on everyone. Pyrrha in the lobby, looking to be going down the left hall while Ruby was in the background on the right staircase, her silver eyes practically glowing in the darkness.

 _TINK!_

He froze, eyes moving up from the tablet to see a screw gently rolling across his desk, prompting his eyes to snap up to the vent. Cobalt blue met bright gold in a silent staring contest, both sides ignoring the faint scratching and lunatic whispering from the left door from Pyrrha. Blake slowly backed away back into the darkness, golden eyes fading from sight as the sound of her movements dimmed and disappeared. However in her wake, two screws were now missing from the vent, and he had zero doubt when all four were gone she'd get in. The beeping from his watch alerted him it was two in the morning, barely audible over the frantic scratchings at his door.

Soon the heavy footfalls of Pyrrha signalled she left and after a cursory check, he opened the left door. Velvet had thankfully left also, allowing him to open the right door without reprimand. He checked the lobby, finding Ruby standing in the middle of the room, before Nora suddenly came out of the bathroom, rushing towards the right hall. He switched to the systems tab and closed the respective door, hearing her thump right against it. Unlike Pyrrha or Velvet though she didn't wait long, instead striking the door several times with her shoulder before turning and leaving.

''And it's only two in the morning...'' He grumbled quietly, giving a resigned sigh before going back to his duty. Then it happened.

The lights flickered.

His stomach dropped, _'Please don't tell me...'_

But it was true, as the bulb overhead hummed a bit louder than normal before flickering one final time, then going dead. His tablet alerted him that the generator had malfunctioned and required a restart, unheeding of his unspoken dread. The closed door to his right opened as nothing was left to power it, despite gravity. With heavy reluctance he peeked out the right hall, finding nobody with his flashlight he proceeded. As he walked he checked the camera for their locations; Ruby in B2-1, Weiss nowhere to be found, Blake in B2-3 in her starting position, Blondie in the cafeteria, Pyrrha in B1-2 staring at a wall, Nora in the kitchen, Velvet nowhere to be found, the fashionista still in her starting position and Stern-Blondie in the cafeteria.

He had a brief but clear window to the steam tunnel. With that in mind he moved quickly, his footfalls louder than he would've liked as moved. The air was thick with dust, not helped that he was actively kicking more of it up by moving. He paused at Hall B, glancing around frantically, finding nobody in sight he continued. Even in the poor lighting he could make out the stern blonde woman in the cafeteria, glaring at the tables as if they were the bane of her existence, the shattered windows letting moonlight pour into the room. He tore his glance away as he reached the door, slightly ajar as he slinked inside.

His footsteps became slightly louder as he moved at a quick pace down the concrete hall. The pipes all but radiated a cold feeling from them, the overhead red lights casting unnerving shadows across the room, like his own paranoia was trying to engulf him. Regardless he pressed onwards until he neared the generator, passing by the creepy, inactive doll that laid atop the metal box. With a deep breath to settle his nerves, he crouched down next to the generator and checked the instructions one more time before beginning.

''I don't think you have permission for that, sir!''

A girlish scream echoed throughout the building.

''I appeared to have scared you!''

''Y-Yeah... you kinda did.'' Jaune stuttered out in surprise. The doll girl he had thought was inactive was now suddenly standing tall, or just standing given her short height, yet it appeared infinitely more menacing with her looming over him in the poor lighting.

The fact she had a wide yet not entirely kind smile worried him even more.

''I apologise for my mistake! Yet I do not believe you are meant to tinker with the machines, sir!'' The doll-like girl smiled widely.

 _'Shit...'_ He cursed nervously in his head, eyes darting around for an escape route while his mouth bought him time, ''I, uh, I am allowed.''

The animatronic tilted her head to the side, ''Are you? I do not recall you gaining permission to do so.''

''Aha... yeah, they probably forgot to tell you. Don't worry, I'm allowed.'' He grinned, trying to hide his unease as he held down the button, ''See? I even know how to use it - someone who wasn't allowed to use it wouldn't know, would they?''

The animatronic hummed, unbelievably considering his lie seriously before nodding thoughtfully, ''I suppose you are correct, good sir! May I ask your name then?''

''Jaune, you?'' He smiled, watching the generator fail to restart, making a colourful string of curses fly in his mind as he tried resetting it again.

''I am Penny!'' The animatronic known as Penny smiled happily, ''It is good to meet you Jaune! The generator has been awfully broken recently, are you here to fix it?''

The genuine intrigue was a bit surprising, but he took it in stride, ''Er... no. I'm with... a... _company_ that fixes it, I'm here to... check it first!''

Penny smacked a fist into her open palm, a metaphorical lightbulb going off over her head, ''I see! That is indeed a smart idea!''

He laughed nervously in response, nodding his agreement as he tried to convince himself that she _genuinely_ believed his bullshit. He hesitantly turned his full attention to the generator, restarting it for the _god damn third time_ , before it hummed back to life, the power returning to his relief. That relief quickly faded as he remembered the last two times he came down here... only now he couldn't hide because Penny was here. Unless he bullshitted his way through it once more.

''Hey, um... Penny?'' He spoke up hesitantly, his hesitance growing when her intense green eyes fell upon him.

''Yes, Jaune?''

''I need to go check the pipes, alright? If someone comes in don't tell them where I am, otherwise they'll disturb me.'' He lied through his teeth, making the doll-esque girl blinked at him before nodding, giving a cute salute and hum of confirmation. He didn't waste any time manoeuvring his way behind the wall of pipes, awkwardly moving his hands close to them in what he hoped was a believable attempt at 'fixing' them. Penny didn't pose any questions, so that was alright. The hall was rendered in almost complete silence aside from his work, said sounds easily mistakable as the pipes naturally groaning.

Soon the sharp tapping of heels echoed throughout the dimly lit hallway, followed by the slightly intimidating figure of the stern blonde walking down the hall. Her emerald eyes stared straight ahead with eerie focus, her strides swift yet languid. As she passed he held his breath, being _extremely_ careful not to do anything to draw her attention other than what he had been currently doing, and it paid off as she passed by. She came to a stop in front of Penny, her emerald eyes boring holes into Penny's own green ones.

Then, as if a silent conversation took place, she simply turned and left, stalking out of the room until she left the tunnel entirely. He hesitated to leave so early, like the second he did so she'd come storming back in. However it wouldn't do good to stay hidden behind there forever, lest Penny wise up about his faking and kill him too. So, with heavy reluctance, he awkwardly manoeuvred his way out from behind the pipes, repressing the urge to flinch when he _felt_ Penny's piercing eyes upon him. It was creepy, like a doll - unnatural.

''I-I'm done now.'' Jaune said quietly, firing a half-hearted smile back at Penny, ''I'll be, um, going now.''

''Goodbye then, Jaune!'' She called back as he walked towards the exit, trying to not look like he was resisting the urge to bolt. While Penny wasn't... actively desiring harm on him, she was very ominous, like someone holding a knife at your throat without realising they were. It was unnerving.

Unfortunately, that sense of unease didn't leave as he left the utility tunnel, as he was grimly reminded that he still had a job to do, this time with plenty more animatronics wandering about. He pulled up the camera, his gaze darting around him and at the camera frantically. Both hallways were clear, although three of the four screws were missing from the ventilation hatch, which was worrying. The sound of his watch beeping as it reached three made him flinch, picking up the pace as he tried to smother the watch with his hand, failing to mute the sounds of the watch. Whether the animatronics actually minded the noise or not was unknown, but he wasn't taking any chances.

It was only when he reached the hall to the right of his office that he froze, hearing the faint sounds of creaking wood not far behind him. His head snapped back, cobalt eyes widening at the sight of Ruby standing upon the staircase, unsettling grin seemingly even wider than normal, eyes so wide they were bigger than his _fist_. The second she even twitched forward an inch he straight up bolted, hearing the sound of quick footsteps racing after him. He barely made it into the room before his finger tapped the system button, the door closing shut behind him. Had he been less than second slower Ruby would've gotten in, or more worrying, she'd be crushed under the weight of the door.

He wasn't out of the woods yet though, as rapid and heavy footsteps of Nora came pounding down towards him, prompting him to close the left door too. A few seconds later she crashed into it, quietly pounding her fist upon the metal. He let out a weary sigh as he collapsed down into his chair, checking everything over quickly. Power was at an alarming 45% - he swore it was much higher last time, Ruby was now in the lobby, froze in place as she left while Nora was nowhere to be found on the cameras, nor was Velvet. The fashionista was still in place, the blonde from Ruby's dorm was in the cafeteria with Pyrrha and the stern blonde was nowhere to be found either. Unless they were hiding expertly, the only places they could be was either the bathroom or the library, likely the latter given the lack of camera.

The faint, almost inaudible twisting of a screw reached his ears, his eyes instantly moving to the vent, his eyes meeting gold.

The screw fell.

For a moment, time seemed to slow down as the screw fell, oh-so-slowly, before hitting the desk with a deafening _chink_ sound. The ventilation hatch, with no screws to keep it in place, could easily be pushed or pulled off of its slot, and so it was. Blake all but exploded through it, sending the grate into the wall behind him as she pounced upon him. The world spun before he fell on his back harshly, narrowly missing the radiator and grate hatch in the process. His attention however was solely on the looming form of Blake, a look that only a cat could seem to pull off; immense self-satisfaction. The fact she was straddling him might've been embarrassing in any other situation, but given the piercing look in her eyes, it killed off any of it instantly.

Her tongue escaped her lips, _slowly_ licking her lips as if excited by the utter terror on his face. She reached behind her without looked, cat-like eyes focused intently on his, before her hand returned and raised up next to her face so he could see.

A screw.

Oh god she was going to screw him.

...

...

From the look on her face, he had said that aloud.

The fact she was still holding the screw threateningly over him momentarily vanished under the weight of sheer embarrassment he felt, and if he wasn't worried about triggering her into killing him, he'd have covered his face in shame. However, despite the fact he wanted to look away, he found his attention quickly drawn back to her eyes. It... _shifted_ almost, eyes dilating eerily and almost changing hues subtly before reverting back to normal. Her expression became surprised, her eyes telling more-so of the shock she felt, before he saw guilt and shame flash in those golden eyes.

''Jaune...?'' Blake whispered in shock, her arm dropping to her side and letting the screw roll away. Her eyes were drawn to the gentle chink it made, her eyes lingering on it for a long moment before she spoke.

''I was... going to screw you...?''

...

...

He wasn't the only one to cover his face in shame.

God damn it.

''Damn~'' A coy voice suddenly interrupted, making both of them jump, ''Didn't know you guys liked puns so much! You two are a natural!''

The blonde from earlier, the non-stern one, was stood in the doorway with a mischievous grin akin to a fox. In the better lighting of the office, her lilac eyes contrasted with her slightly pale skin, long flowing blonde locks falling down to her waist. However, despite her... _assets_ that he resisted to look at, one glaring issue came to mind, mainly on _how the hell she was in here and why the door was open._

It must've shown on his face, as the blonde just shrugged nonchalantly and said; ''I just pulled it open while you two were busy with your little _activity._ Never knew you were so bold, Blakey.''

''Yang!'' Blake hissed, adding to the cat-like aura she had around her. Yang just laughed in response, all but ignoring Blake as she stormed up to the blonde and hissed low words at the busty girl quiet enough he couldn't hear. As they were busy doing that he pulled himself up, pulling the chair along with him for the ride. Trying not to interrupt their quiet but humour-tinted conversation he flicked through the cameras, noting the positions of the other animatronics before returning his focus to Blake and the newly-addressed Yang.

She turned to him, a grin on her face as she spoke, ''Hey Jaune!''

''Hi...'' He managed to respond without stuttering, ''You're Yang, right?''

''Yep.'' She grinned, popping the 'p'.

''Nice to meet you, I guess.'' He smiled at her, before tensing up at the sound of rapid footsteps closing in. He was surprised though when Yang just grinned widely, turning and entering the hall and getting tackled in a hug by a blur, which turned out to be Nora. Both of them hit the floor just outside the door before both descended into friendly giggles, confirming to him that both were no longer under the mysterious control. What Weiss said came back to him, making a soft frown fall upon his features. Before he had thought something was simply strange, but now it was clear something bigger was going on.

Should he ask Cinder? There might be a chance she knew more about the history of this place, or could ask one of her superiors. But at the same time Weiss' words about being 'trapped' implied someone had done the trapping, or was at least preventing them from leaving. A 'system' was responsible, yet where the system was or originated from was unknown. He'd have to go ask her before he left, but the threat of the others lurking about killed off that thought quickly, at least until a few 'minutes' before his shift ended.

He was broken from his thoughts as Nora abruptly landed in his lap, smiling cheerfully, ''What's with the frown, Jauney?''

Blinking in surprise, he shook off the metaphorical cobwebs and responded, ''Nothing, Nora - just wondering about stuff.''

''What about?'' She tilted her head in question.

''Er...'' -Think-think-think- ''I was just... thinking it was pretty hot tonight.''

He didn't miss the glance Blake and Yang shared, but pretended to have his attention focused on Nora.

Nora, for her part, blinked, ''...you sure its not just the uniform?''

''Or your little activity with Blakey.'' Yang interjected with, ironically, a cat-like grin.

''Yang!'' Blake hissed once again, a crimson flare to her cheeks, a lighter one on Jaune's own.

He was saved from answering as his watch not only beeped over to four, but the tell-tale heavy footsteps came from the left hall, signalling the steps of Pyrrha coming in. He paused and waited for her to start scratching and clawing at the already-closed door, only to get a polite knocking instead.

''Pyrrha? You there?'' He called out as everyone's attention went to the door.

For a moment he didn't get a reply, before Pyrrha's voice came through, ''Yes, it's me.''

''Should I open the door then?''

''Yes.'' She agreed and he complied, opening the left door to reveal Pyrrha standing there, hands demurely folded in front of her. ''Hello.''

''Hey Pyrrha.'' He smiled, getting a smile in return. As Blake and Yang got themselves comfortable he checked the cameras once more, finding Weiss and the stern blonde to be missing still, with Velvet's ominous shadow in the lobby and Ruby nowhere to be seen - likely in either the bathroom or library. Assured everyone wasn't imminently about to kill him, he rested the tablet on his lap as he turned his attention to the others.

''By the way, what's the name of the blonde called? The teacher-esque one?'' He asked, adding the latter statement when Yang quirked a brow at him.

It was Yang who was also the one to respond, ''Oh, her? Glynda.''

He pretended to miss it, but he certainly wasn't blind enough to miss the glare Nora and Blake shot at Yang, possibly even Pyrrha too but he couldn't see. Yang was either oblivious to them or flat-out ignoring them, a somewhat impressive feat given the intensity of Blake's alone. He opened his mouth to ask, only for a groan to escape as the light overhead flickered in a familiar way. The others all looked towards the bulb with clear annoyance in their eyes, the buzzing increasing in volume before going out with a muted puff.

''That's the second time tonight...'' He sighed, rubbing his forehead before gently nudging for Nora to get off. With clear reluctance she hopped off of him and onto the desk, letting him stand up.

''You sure you can see well enough, Jaune?'' Pyrrha voiced her concern, making him smile.

''It's fine Pyrrha, if I can sneak past all of you, I can sneak past only half of you just fine.'' He joked lightly, smiling at Blake and Yang before walking out into the hall. Pulling up the tablet as he walked he found Velvet to be nowhere on the cameras, a slightly worrying prospect, and Ruby in the left hall upstairs, staring at a door intensely. Glynda and Weiss were still nowhere to be seen. Shrugging the oddity off, he quietly trudged through the dusty lobby, noting it was a little brighter than normal for whatever reason. Like a glow around the room.

He shook his head, realising it was probably just the tablet. He continued onwards, pausing briefly outside the bathroom door to listen for any sounds, where he thankfully found none. He was hesitant to open the door so he just left it closed, instead steeling himself for what was to come as he walked down into the steam tunnel, red lights casting long shadows ominously.

''Hello Jaune!''

And of course, Penny standing cheerfully at the end of the tunnel.

He smiled and waved a hand, nonchalantly asking, ''Broke down again, huh?''

She seemed confused at his half-question, tilting her head to the side before understanding dawned, ''Yes, the generator broke again. Are you here to reboot it?''

''Yep.'' He smiled, passing the doll-like girl and pushing the button.

The generator fell silent for a painfully long few seconds before humming back to life, the light overhead glowing brightly to show it was working once more, on the first try too. He just hoped it would never cut out completely, otherwise he'd pretty much die unless he could find a decent hiding place. The spot behind the pipes might work on some people, but it'd only be a matter of time before another animatronic or even flat-out Penny would find him and kill him. He had yet to explore the library fully, so maybe he could hide behind the doors or something, maybe even behind the desk.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought. As long as the generator didn't go out permanently he'd be perfectly fine. With that in mind he checked over the generator itself, given Penny was there to keep an eye out for any animatronics, whether or not she realised that. He wasn't a technician by any means, but even he could see several thick black wires slightly torn, the wires within poking out of the black covering. It wasn't enough to be an active hazard, but enough to cause interference, from what he guessed anyway. He was silently relieved when his watch ticked over to five, ignoring that it felt like only a minute since four.

''Hopefully it'll be fine from now on, at least for tonight.'' He smiled up at Penny, ignoring how she was all but leaning over him.

She gave a bright, if still slightly ominous smile in return, ''Good to hear, Jaune! Will you be leaving now, or checking the pipes again?''

''Nah, I'll be going.'' He informed, giving her a wave goodbye and a passing goodbye, earning one in return.

As he walked away from the doll-esque girl though, he swore he heard her whisper something, but when he looked back she was staring straight ahead at the wall. Shrugging that off, he continued, only to come face-to-face with a pair of brown eyes. He stepped back in surprise, only for a hand to grab the front of his uniform and push him against the wall. For a moment he thought it was Velvet, but his surprise and dread grew when he took in her appearance, instantly linking her to the fashionista in the kitchen, the one he had all but forgotten about.

''Hello, Arc.'' The unknown animatronic gripped his shirt tighter, ''Remember me?''

''No...?'' Was his terror-stricken response. Her eyes were filled with malice, yet different to the malice shown through the eyes of the others.

''Figured not.'' She dismissed, ''But that doesn't mean I forgot you.''

He _really_ didn't like the way she said that.

Suddenly she leant in close, so close he could feel her breath on his neck, before whispering a single, quiet question.

''Do you really believe about what happened... to your _family_?''

He froze up, muscles going tense and eyes shooting wide. If possible he would've taken a step back in shock, only for the cold concrete wall to remind him of its existence. He tried to respond, but found words weren't forthcoming, like an invisible grasp around his throat held the words down. He swallowed heavily and audibly, the sound ricocheting throughout the poorly lit hallway, before speaking quietly and hesitantly.

''What?''

''You heard.'' The brunette stated coolly, ''I said, do you really believe about what happened to your family-''

''How do you know that?'' He cut in abruptly, earning a sharp glare that he really didn't care for right now.

She snorted, ''How I know I can't say, but I'm pretty sure you don't have a damn clue.''

''What's that supposed to mean?'' He glared, familial anger boiling under the surface, often rising whenever someone disgraced his deceased family. It had been bad enough when some slightly older kids joked at Hazel's expense, made worse by the fact he couldn't exactly do anything about it because it would only land _him_ in trouble.

''What I mean is, I don't think you really know what happened to them.'' She glared back into his cobalt eyes, ''What do _you_ think happened, oh mighty Arc?''

He gritted his teeth silently, but begrudgingly seethed out, ''Killed, _slaughtered_ by some asshole before he detonated a bomb. My sister was the only survivor.''

The young woman smirked, almost condescendingly replying, ''Is _that_ what they told you?''

His fist shook, the urge to punch this girls lights out suddenly becoming a very tempting option. He wasn't an angry person, if anything he was the opposite, but that smirk... he hated it. The only thing holding him back from knocking her lights out was he wasn't keen on dying just yet, as he had no doubt would occur if he struck her. Considering she was probably made from metal under her faux-skin like any animatronic, it'd also probably do more harm than good to him.

''What do _you_ think happened then?'' He all but snarled at her.

'' _It_ got to them.'' He said, suddenly stone-faced, '' _It_ followed you despite how long it took and it found your family, and killed them.''

'' _WHO?!''_ He shouted at her, causing a momentary flicker of surprise to cross her face before she schooled her expression once more, leaving him trembling in barely contained anger, borderline rage.

She didn't respond for a minute, before merely dipping her head slightly, ''I cannot say.''

His repressed anger got the better of him, his right fist lunging out in a vicious right hook. However he was taken aback as the world spun, the flash of the red light overhead glaring at him before he slammed down onto the concrete ground, a sharp heel digging into his stomach and moderate weight resting upon his chin. He blinked a few times to remove the spots from his vision, his eyes widening as he saw the fashionista standing over him, foot on his chest and a stray pipe of metal in her hands, from where it came from he didn't know.

''Idiot.'' She huffed, before simply getting off him and walking away, her heels tapping against the concrete stairs as she left, before disappearing out of sight. He laid there for a long few moments, staring in surprise where she had left through. He expected her to be strong, but to suddenly flip him onto his back with one hand in a cramped tunnel was surprising. With a quiet grunt he pushed himself up and slowly crept towards the door, giving a glance behind him towards Penny, finding her still in the same position. Odd.

Was she twitching?

He quickened his pace, not wanting _anything_ to do with that as he reached Hall B. Automatically the door began to close shut behind him, something he only just now noticed for its oddness. Shrugging the - second - oddity off, he instead turned his attention to a note pinned onto the wall in front of him with a strange glass-like object. Pulling the glassy object out and gently laying it on the floor, he attentively picked up the yellow piece of worn paper, the same jagged, uneven writing written upon it.

 **we hea _r_ their ScreAms**

 **we are Vicious and _u_ nmErciful**

 **yoU will die Soo _n_**

 **like you should've-**

 **PA1N**

 **H0PE**

 **H31PM3FR0NZVFF3R1NG**

He shivered as he read the mass of squiggles the writing descended into, like a madman frantically scrawling out his final message in his dying breath. In the poor lighting it was almost painful to read. Stuffing the old and worn piece of paper in his pocket - and feeling it crinkle and possibly tear - he jumped out of his skin when he heard his watch beep, finally ticking over to six am. Pulling up his tablet he was surprised to see all the others were in their original starting positions.

All but Weiss, who was standing in front of the library doors, hands folded in front of her calmly.

He walked into the lobby, enjoying the sudden cool breeze that blew in and alleviated the stuffy feeling he had to deal with the entire night. His previous anger had already began to fade, intentionally ignoring what the fashionista said before about his family. He gave Weiss a smile, but when he blinked she was just... gone. He paused, rubbing his eyes with his hand, but no, she wasn't there. Turning to the elevator, he found the doors closed, if ajar faintly but hardly wide enough for him to see inside. As he was about to continue walking towards the front door a glint caught his eye, making him pause.

Frowning, he walked towards the spot where Weiss had been standing, finding in its place a pristine piece of paper nailed to the wall with that odd toothpick she seemed to be fond of using. Letting the toothpick drop to the ground, he pulled the note up for him to read.

 **You swore on the Arc name you'd save us, all of us. Keep that promise Jaune. Not just for us either.**

Sighing, he folded the cryptic letter away into his other pocket, turning off his flashlight and tablet as he walked out into the morning sunlight, the harsh glare beaming down on him as he walked towards the exit, his mind racing with the events of the night.

Unaware to him, a figure stood in the shadows of a nearby building, watching with unnaturally coloured eyes as the blonde teen walked away.

Silently, the figure walked away.

 _'Survive, Jaune, for all of us.'_

* * *

 **A/N: BOOM!**

 **Got a good 2k-3k words done in one big final chunk, my fingers cramping up but screw it. As I said in the top AN, I'm sorry about this taking so long, but its difficult and more importantly frustrating as hell to write with not only one hand, but my bad hand. I'll try to get the next update out sooner, but no promises - plus, this isn't the only piece of fanfiction I'm working on either, so my time is spread thinly. Concentration issues do not favour me in this situation. Either way, I hope you like this chapter, which is slightly longer than normal (8.5k words).**

 **Anyway; intrigue! Mystery! subtle hints!**

 **There were a _LOT_ of subtle hints in this chapter, a few _very_ subtle hints and a few not-so-subtle hints.. Many questions arise about the true nature of Beacon, and of the various oddities. Who was the figure at the end? What was with the notes? Who or what is 'it', and what does it have to do with Jaune? Where was Ruby and Neo? So many lingering questions!**

 **On another note, I finally introduced Coco in action, albeit briefly. Penny was active for the first time... or was it the first time? Glynda made an appearance, as some of you guessed - but none of you guessed _anything_ to do with the elevator. Glynda was hiding there all along!**

 **The pieces are coming together, and time is running out swiftly.**

 **Its been a pleasure bringing you this chapter, and I will see you in... _I_ _nterlude III._**


	8. Interlude Three

**A/N: Sorry about this taking so long. A lot of things have happened recently and, well, things happened. I kinda just left the internet for a few weeks, going through life on autopilot for the most part. I also kept getting writers block whenever I turned on my computer, so that contributed to my lack of activity. I've decided on there being twelve chapters total, with the order being: Night 5, Night 6, Interlude 4 and then Night 7. I will not cease writing this fanfic until it is completed.**

 **In short; shit happened in real life, and I'm sorry it took so long to update.**

 **I DO NOT OWN RWBY**

* * *

 _ **Interlude 3**_

* * *

He was tired, he was confused and he only wanted to go sleep.

However his mind didn't allow him to. What the fashionista had said kept ringing in his head, that what happened with his family wasn't as correct as he believed it. Did he have amnesia? He had never been diagnosed with it nor shown any signs of it. If not, then why did she seem so convinced his story was false? He would have to go ask Hazel, see if she remembered it any differently than he did. He wasn't sure if he hoped she did or not.

But as he continued to walk towards the hospital, something simply felt... off, unusual. There was an air of uncertainty and worry, almost panic in the air. He could hear curious or worried whispering from people he passed in the streets, nervously glancing down the way he was walking. His discomfort grew as the whispers only increased the closer to the hospital he got, more and more people building into a crowd to the point he was beginning to push his way through to get to the hospital. When he saw the police and the yellow 'do-not-cross' tape, his worry was at its peak.

Pushing his way through the crowd, getting several complaints in the process, he came to a stop in front of the tape, a police officer spotting him as he waved him down. The man looked to be a chief or at least someone in charge given his stern form and slightly more distinct uniform, his burnt auburn hair in a neat buzz-cut. If nothing else, he had a commanding presence.

''Excuse me, officer?'' He spoke up politely, ''What's going on? Did something happen?''

''Yeah.'' He sighed, probably having said this a billion times today, ''Someone broke into the hospital a few hours ago, sometime between the hours of 1AM and 2AM. Fifteen dead, forty in critical condition and seventy injured.''

He paled, freezing on the spot in shock. The officer seemed to have expected that, patiently standing with an understanding look in his eyes.

''D-Do you know the names of t-those dead?'' He asked after a long moment, the words almost difficult to get out, like his throat wanted nothing more than to seize up.

''Sorry, don't have a list on me.'' He shook his head, ''Why? You got someone inside?''

''Yeah, little sister, Hazel Arc.''

The officer's look became abruptly even more sympathetic, ''Younger sibling, eh? I know the feeling. Tell you what kid, stay here, I'll go ask about.''

''Eh? R-Really?'' He stuttered in surprise at the offer.

The man smiled, almost wistfully, ''Yeah, I know how worrying it can be over a younger brother or sister. Anyway, back in a few.''

Jaune could only nod, still in slight shock from the kind offer. Completely out of the blue too. Yet, he had a nagging feeling at the back of his head, similar to when he was missing something obvious, yet couldn't quite put his finger on it. Something about the officer... it seemed familiar. He shook the thought off, it was probably nothing anyway, likely just getting confused with someone else. The crowd eventually began to thin (ever so slightly) over the course of several minutes, allowing him a bit more breathing room by the time the officer got back.

The auburn-haired man smiled as he came back, speaking up calmly, ''She's fine. Apparently the attacker was just one room away from the ICU ward, so everyone in there is safe.''

''Ah, that's good to hear.'' He sighed in relief, ''I wouldn't get any sleep if anything had happened to her, especially not after the day, or night, I've had.''

The officer nodded, ''Yeah, I hear you. Night shift, I guess?''

He smiled tiredly, ''Yeah, security guard down at the industrial district, some old school building.''

Something immediately became wrong, he knew that the second the man's eyes widened, before they narrowed. For a long moment, no words were spoken between them, an innate sense of _wrongness_ suddenly existing in the gap in their conversation. Despite the avid chatting around them of people not paying them any attention, the silence felt more deafening than anything else he'd ever felt.

''I'd stay away from that place, kid.'' The older man said in a low, grave tone, ''Lots of good people have gone missing there.''

''W-What...?''

''Missing reports, no further contact, even some of my men have gone missing there.'' He said quietly, ''I even lost my own brother to that place. Some say its haunted, I think there's something else there, but what? I don't know. All I know is its nothing but danger, so I suggest you put in your resignation soon.''

''R-Right...'' He stuttered, struggling and failing to keep his voice even. He mumbled out a goodbye that the officer didn't return, pushing his way back out of the crowd and away from the hospital. That was... unnerving, ominous. Now he had even more questions that were unanswered, left to taunt him in his mind. He felt like he should go back, to ask _who_ went and attacked... but the conversation was over the moment he mentioned where he worked. The fact that so many people were injured, even killed, barely registered, it was a numb feeling almost.

He shook his head, his thoughts were too clouded to think clearly, though why he wasn't sure. Something just seemed off, _way_ too off. Everything, it was just too... he didn't know a word for it, coincidental? The nagging feeling at the back of his head only grew worse to the point it was almost painful. So lost in his pain he didn't notice someone was in front of him until he bumped into them, causing both of them to stumble a few steps in surprise.

''S-Sorry.'' He apologised, only for the girl to ignore him completely, black hair swaying as she walked away without a care. Harsh.

Shaking his head again, he continued on, finding the need to go to one final stop before he passed out.

The Library.

* * *

It was less crowded this time, barely anybody using the computers at this time of morning, much less when an attack had just occurred. He was just happy his sister was fine, but undoubtedly shaken up, he hoped he could see her before his shift started later on. Speaking of which, the call of sleep was sounding more and more alluring the longer he waited. Regardless he needed to try and gather whatever information he could find, Weiss and the others were counting on him.

He looked up Beacon again, going through link after link but only ending up on similar reports, many of them unhelpful or holding no value in them. One even claimed Beacon was situated on a cliff before a forest, which clearly wasn't true. Idly, he wondered if he should've got a coffee before coming here, before shaking his head and refocusing on the task at hand. Time was short.

His attention was grabbed by a link's title, and upon clicking on it brought him to a news website. He hadn't heard of the company before, VNN Live, but the detailed report on the page caught his attention immediately, dated several years prior.

 _Beacon of Despair - Nefarious plot, or something else?_

 _Beacon Academy, the former prestigious academy situated in the capital city of Vale, has fallen into despair since its closure many years ago. It was a shame for many to see it close down, and now the building remains a shadow of its former self, decrepit and in disrepair. The Valean Council has not released as to why the academy still stands and not destroyed, even when it situated within the industrial district and thus exempt from use._

 _Conspiracy plots have arisen about the desolate academy ever since its closure, with reports of missing individuals pointing to the academy, yet no clear sign of any foul play involved has appeared. When asked for a comment the owners of the academy building, SDC, claimed they believed no connections between the deaths or missing persons and the academy building existed. Police inquiries into the company itself have remained inconclusive or private from the public, and direct inquires into the building have, mysteriously, also resulted in several cases of police officers themselves going missing, notably Officer Cardin Winchester._

 _However the SDC, when publically questioned on the nature of the building, have responded they mainly use it as an impromptu-storage for 'unimportant cargo' when their main storage facilities are full. It is to be assumed the cargo consists of the modernistic technology the Schnee Development Company are known for, however probing into the subject has remained inconclusive._

 _The question on everyone's mind, however, is simple; what is going on at Beacon Academy?_

 _Time will only tell._

That... was ominous. Idly he scanned through the website for any other related articles, but most of them consisted of the same rundown; something happened at Beacon, mostly disappearances that remained inconclusive. After some digging however, he found an article detailing that a guard position had opened up for the specific purpose of preventing disappearances or catching the culprits in the act... only for the guards themselves to go missing.

Abruptly, the screen snapped to black as the power was suddenly cut, the rest of the computers around him doing the same. The unexplainable feeling of _wrongness_ suddenly returned, like an intangible pressure that left his mind screaming to get the fuck out of there. He looked around, trying to remain casual with it as he searched for whatever might be causing it, but there was no evidence of it. Nobody was specifically looking at him, nothing was posing a threat, nothing was wrong. Everything looked normal.

That only made him feel more nervous. It was too normal.

Gathering his things as fast as he could, he didn't waste any time leaving the library and heading straight back home.

Never did he see the figure watching from a distance, crimson eye glowing with open malice.

* * *

 _His lung burned..._ _Too much smoke..._

 _He pushed past it, holding his breath and ramming his shoulder against the door desperately, fear avidly clawing up his spine like tendrils of ice, weakening him. He could hear the screams and sobs of his sisters through the door, the fires ungodly close to them, he didn't even need to see to tell._

 _His heart pounded in his ears, adrenaline flooding through his veins as he slammed against the wooden door, praying that it would just fucking open. It creaked and groaned, but never did it break or swing open. The gap under the door only let in smoke to the room, forcing him to tuck his nose into his shirt to reduce the amount he inhaled._

 _The frantic screams of his sisters made his blood freeze, even as he hammered away at the door with a nearby lamp, trying with everything in his being to save them. Screams of pain and agony made tears form in the corners of his eyes, stinging his boiling skin as he heard the sobs stop and the hysterical shrieks of blood-chilling agony echoed throughout the house. Every instinct of his being was yelling at the bloody door to fucking break, but it didn't. Fate was not so kind._

 _Soon, the shrieks stopped, dimming out in volume before ceasing completely. As if to taunt him, the door finally broke open, only to be greeted by the living room filled to the brim with searing orange flames, the intensity of the heat almost knocking him back. The moment his eyes fell on the six slowly charring corpses scattered around the living room, three of them in a pile in the corner, his heart shattered._

 _Before grief could set in, however, shrieking caught his attention in a heartbeat. It was faint, so quiet over the titanic roars of the flames, but it was there, coming from the kitchen. Throwing aside self-preservation and innate instinct, he barrelled through the fire that seemed least avid, wincing as the orange flames licked at his skin and clothes like electrical whips. He ignored it though despite the growing pain in his feet as he stepped upon burning wood floors, barrelling through the kitchen door with relative ease, his eyes widening at the sight before him._

 _Hazel was on the ground before him, a mass of wood and stone burying her body beneath the waist, some small parts on fire. The girl herself was struggling to push the heaviest parts off, her expression one of immense agony, tears actively running down her face as blood seeped out from the pile of debris. He all but launched forwards, gripping a large plank of charred wood and yanking it off, followed by a large chunk of skewed concrete, then more wood, all the while ignoring the growing burns on his hands._

 _By the time he finished, Hazel was unconscious. He didn't waste any time picking her up bridal style and running over to the back door, only for it to be knocked open by someone else. His eyes were blinded briefly by a bright light, before the person - a fireman, he realised idly - grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him out. However, his eyes were elsewhere, locked onto the wall where writing shouldn't exist._

 _ **DIE**_

* * *

Jaune woke up with a start, flailing about in his bed blindly for a few moments, blood pounding in his ears. With a thud he crashed onto the floor beneath him, a strangled gasp escaping him as his body struggled to differentiate reality and dream-memory. Frantic eyes darted about the room, searching for signs of the searing flames, only to find none. He calmed down at the realisation, his heaving gasps reducing to shuddering breaths.

That... was the first memory of the event he had in months.

Why now?

He sat up, pulling his knees to his chest as he tried to steady his breathing and think calmly. Nightmarish revisions of the event about the fire weren't uncommon after the incident, if anything they were to be expected, according to his psychiatrist at the time. However they had slowly declined over the months until vanishing completely, mostly overtaken by dreams of a burning city instead, with a fire-breathing dragon atop a tower. Thankfully it wasn't anywhere near as terror-inspiring, just... odd and very fantasy-esque.

However one thing bothered him the most.

He didn't remember there being writing before.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's a wrap.**

 **Again, I apologise for this taking so long, but as I said; real life can be depressing at times. I thank all of you who wrote reviews and theories, and even to those who added the story to communities, it was what drove me to continue this.**

 **I've created a poll on my profile on whether I, and authors in general(but mostly about me) should post _more_ stories at the cost of less frequent updates and chance of abandonment, or more frequent updates but more stories posted. I would appreciate it if you voted on it.**

 **Till we meet again, on Night 5...**

 **...the night everything changes.**


	9. Night Five

**A/N: Sorry about this taking so long, I hit a block at about 1000~ words and another block at 5000~ words. I knew where I wanted to go and what to write, but the words and motivation just eluded me. Thank you to all the kind reviews last chapter :)**

 **I hope you find this chapter enjoyable.**

 **I DO NOT OWN RWBY**

* * *

 _ **Night 5**_

* * *

The large metallic doors groaned open as they had done the past four nights, but for some reason it felt different tonight. Like walking into a graveyard his back was stiff and breathing low and quiet, as if to listen out for anybody. More specifically, the animatronics.

Like yesterday it was oddly stuffy, which was odd given how cold and even damp the walls of the building felt, inside and out. The heavy storm outside only added to the cold, so the warm temperature was appreciated, but unexpected. Still he shrugged it off as best he could, taking a deep breath of dusty air before setting out towards the guard's office, warding off the grim possibility other guards had died in that room. The only reason he had gotten so far was because of luck, that he was sure of.

The chair squeaked as he sat down in it, pulling the camera up to eye-level. Flicking through the cameras he was comforted by the fact none of them had moved immediately, which was a good sign, for now at least. He flicked to the bathroom camera, getting silence. Cafeteria was empty and the kitchen, which had the fashionista and Velvet, was silent. Penny was motionless, or at least what he could see from the camera. Pyrrha and Nora were in their starting position, unmoving whilst the other four girls, which he dubbed RWBY, were also in their starting positions. However where Neo and Glynda were was uncertain, the latter he could only guess was in the elevator.

As if hearing his thoughts, he was startled as a figure abruptly _popped_ into existence in front of him, pink and brown hair swaying as mismatched stared at him, filled with humour. He was idly proud by the fact he didn't faint from the sudden appearance of the girl, even if his heart pounded in his chest and he could feel adrenaline threatening to flood his system. If nothing else the short girl seemed amused by his flinch.

''H-Hey Neo.'' He greeted with a stutter.

Neo, in response, smiled and gave a two-fingered salute.

''Been a while since I seen you... where've you been?'' He asked politely, briefly glancing at the cameras. All clear so far.

She paused for a moment, before shrugged her shoulders, waving her hand dismissively as if to say 'nowhere important'.

''Hm.'' He hummed, nodding along as he diverted his attention back to the camera, movement catching his eye. Not a moment later Nora burst out of her room, the door slamming against the wall as her feet pounded across the ground, audible even from his position halfway across the building. He didn't waste a moment locking the left door, letting her run herself into it. He couldn't help but wince as she ran face-first into it, but she seemed unaffected by it, instantly getting to her feet and walking away.

Following the seemingly routine pattern, he swapped to the room RWBY always started in. Ruby had moved slightly, now in a crouch before the door whilst Weiss was missing entirely, the other two unmoved. Swapping to the kitchen he grimaced at the lack of Velvet present, prompting him to flick to the cafeteria camera, spotting her eerie silhouette in the background. Resisting the urge to keep an eye on her, he swapped back to lobby camera, tensing at the sight of the Spartan girl Pyrrha standing in the middle of the room, staring straight up into the camera with hollow emerald eyes, almost haunted in nature.

He quickly flicked off the camera to check on Ruby, only to find her out of the room and in the hallway, silver eyes glowing ominously in the darkness. He swore he saw something else behind her, but before he could double-check it heavy footfalls from the hall to his left drew attention. The door was still closed, but he couldn't help but remain tense, like she was going to tear open the door if he looked away. Whether or not she had the capability, though he doubted it, she simply came to a stop in front of the door, her head bowed.

''Why do I... feel so... hollow?''

He blinked at the shuddering, almost emotional tone she used. It would've made him think she was out of the programming had she not been so... _off_. It wasn't any single thing, but the air around her just didn't feel right, making him hesitant to open the door. Pyrrha continued to stand there, her heavy breathing and incoherent mumblings carrying on for a little longer before she walked off, her metal footwear thudding against the floor as she walked away. Only when she was out of the hall and back into the lobby did he dare open the door, relaxing when she didn't suddenly burst back in.

Swift footsteps to his right drew his attention immediately, prompting him to close the right door without delay. Ruby crashed into it with a soft thud, catching herself before ramming herself face-first into it. She didn't stay long either, instead spinning on her heel and trudging away, her face losing its insane smile and becoming eerily blank. Once she was out of the hall he opened the door, only then turning his attention back to Neo, ignoring his watch beeping to one in the morning.

He had to repress a chuckle at the sight of Neo lying across the length of his desk, a pout of boredom across her face.

''Say, Neo... it's been getting more difficult as the week's gone on, what happens next week?'' He asked, confusion marring his face when he saw her eyes widen in surprise.

She held up a finger, then crossed both index fingers over each other to make a plus sign, cocking her head to the side at the same time.

''Uh...'' He drawled, ''More than one week?''

She nodded.

''Well, aren't I supposed to be here for _at least_ one week, not _only_ one week?'' He asked in confusion... and with an uneasy feeling in his gut.

Neo shook her head, making a mock-gun with her hand and putting it to the side of her head, tilting it to the side and sticking her tongue out.

''I-I'll die?'' He stuttered out nervously, glancing down at his tablet briefly.

Neo nodded.

He was supposed to die after the end of the week? Was that why the animatronic- no, the _girls_ wanted to hurt him, were forced into hurting him? Was this some kind of elaborate murder scheme, a grand act of a serial murderer? The fashionista's words came ringing back in his head and with it the near-death experience all those years ago. If he had any doubts about this having _some_ connection to that disaster, they were long gone now. There was no possible way she could have known unless someone told her or 'programmed' it into her. Someone was behind all this. In the SDC? Cinder herself? Someone completely unrelated? Nobody?

Why him?

He was broken from his nigh-terrified musings as he felt a weight on him, a mop of pink and brown hair tickling his nose as Neo sat on his lap, her arms wrapped around his chest in an almost comforting manner. It took him a moment to realise that he was sweating profusely and gripping the tablet hard enough to nearly bend it, showing his fear had gotten the best of him. Like it always had, even back then.

 _'What?'_ He blinked, confused. That thought came out of nowhere.

Before he could ponder on the sudden thought, Neo stirred, pulling back from the embrace with a small smile on her face. Her pink and brown eyes held surprising warmth within them, surprising him as she gave him a peck on the cheek before she pulled back, hopping to her feet once more.

''Thanks Neo...'' He smiled, blood rushing to his cheeks.

Neo just smiled again, before glancing over her shoulder as soft thuds reached their ears. The ventilation. He almost scowled at the interruption of their moment, glaring up at the vent. A pair of golden eyes appeared in the darkness, staring into his for only a handful of seconds before backing away, the sound of the person within fading away as they left. He held back a sigh, his glare fading as he returned his gave onto Neo, who replied with a solemn smile. She jerked a thumb behind her, making a walking-away animation with her fingers. He got the message.

''You have to leave?'' He asked, almost sadly. He was beginning to enjoy her presence too.

She smiled sadly, reaching out and ruffling his hair playfully. Tilting her head to the side and closing one eye cutely, raising a hand and blowing him a kiss. Joking he raised a hand and pretended to catch it, making her imitate a giggle before she made her way to the door. As she passed the threshold her form shattered into glass shards, fading away like magic.

 _'Yep... definitely not normal.'_ He thought dimly, turning his attention back on the cameras. Both of the hallways were clear, but in the time that he and Neo had been 'talking' the others had moved. Ruby was back in the lobby, Nora was in the cafeteria sitting across from Yang, Pyrrha's heavy breathing and mumbled words were coming from the bathroom, Blake was nowhere to be found and neither was Weiss. Velvet was hidden in the shadows in the lobby, her rabbit ears peeking over the pile of boxes whilst the fashionista was stood in Hall B, frozen still as she glared at the camera over her shades.

Well didn't she look friendly?

Gentle footsteps in the right hall made him react accordingly, the door sliding closed and preventing Ruby from entering. Oddly, he noted she was breathing heavier than before, almost panting like she ran a marathon. Before he could check the other cameras a terrible, metallic screeching reached his ears as metal was torn asunder. Instantly he checked on the lobby camera, grimacing at the sight of the elevator doors being pried apart by an invisible force. The blonde, Glynda, was coming.

He was distracted from the sight as a mop of orange hair blurred across the room, heavy footfalls alerting to who it was. The left door came slamming down, stopping Nora from entering just in time. Both girls left the doors at the same time, trudging back to the lobby and going their separate ways, Nora down Hall B while Ruby was frozen in place, facing Hall A1. Before he tabbed off the camera he noticed Velvet in the corner of the room, still in the shadows, but her ears were down and she was clutching her head in apparent pain. He felt a spark of concern for the girl but reluctantly squashed the feeling, remembering she was still in kill-crazy mode.

The horrible screeching of metal finally ceased, Glynda walking out from the elevator cart with slow, methodical steps as she came to a stop in the middle of the room. He was taken aback when she waved her arm in a sweeping motion towards the camera... and the camera abruptly went off, black and white static filling the screen. He couldn't even hear over it, the audio replaced by incessant static that grated on his ears. He swapped to another camera, getting a clear picture, but when he swapped back it was still disabled. So at least it was limited to one camera.

But losing one camera, especially one so close to him, was immensely dangerous.

As his watch beeped over to two in the morning, he resisted the urge to sigh when he heard thumping in the ventilation once again. He stared up at the shaft but... no golden eyes came through. He waited, and waited, but no eyes appeared in the darkness.

 _'Odd._ _'_ He thought, but was jarred from his thoughts as the light overhead flickered, making him groan in a silly attempt to hide his own fear. With a buzzing hiss, the light went off and the doors opened, the lack of light plunging him into complete darkness that felt more oppressing than normal, like it was trying to smother him. Grimacing, he pulled up his tablet and checked both hallways on his left and right, finding them clear. A brief check over the rest of the facility assured nobody was just about to rush him.

Unless they were in the lobby.

He was _so_ fucked, wasn't he?

 _'Head in the game Jaune, head in the game...'_ He repeated to himself, grabbing the flashlight and ducking out into the right hall. He didn't waste any time rushing behind the small pile of boxes, trying to make himself as small as possible encase someone came by.

That proved to be the right call, as less than a moment later a figure rushed by, moving so fast they were literally a blur. He caught sight of a pair of bunny ears on their head before they disappeared into the office, meaning it was Velvet. He didn't waste a moment, pushing himself to his feet and rushing into the lobby, darting behind a mound of boxes, narrowly avoiding being spotted by Nora, who was in the process of turning around. Keeping the light of his flashlight and tablet to the ground, he peeked over the top of the boxes, waiting for Nora to run up the right staircase before he stealthily made his way to Hall B, keeping his back to the wall.

The hall was thankfully empty, but he could see several of the others in the cafeteria, all eerily sat down staring at one another with empty gazes. He pulled up the tablet, pausing just long enough to check if the bathroom was empty - which it _sounded_ like - before he crept down the hall towards the slightly ajar utility tunnel door. He shivered as a breeze of cool air brushed past him, probably from the shattered windows if were to guess. It alleviated some of the dust that had been lingering around at least, giving him a literal breath of fresh air.

Soft footsteps coming from behind instantly spurred him into action, pulling open the heavy door enough to slide inside the tunnel. He was tempted to close the door shut after him, but the possibility of being locked in here was... none too pleasant. Shaking the thought off he swiftly crept down the hall towards the generator, the red lights overhead seemingly illuminating even less than yesterday or the day before that. Whether that was true, or it was a trick of the mind, he wasn't sure, but his attention was quickly snatched as he realised something that made him freeze on the spot.

Penny was gone.

The spot where she normally laid was bare, revealing in its place a small metal box with multiple warning labels over the length of it. The front of it, the only section with a handle on it, was kept locked by a rather modern but simplistic 1-9 code entry, a small dimly glowing rectangle where the numbers presumably appeared after pressing the button. It was odd why such a box, especially one so distinct and apparently dangerous, was lying here in the tunnel. However it was suspicious why Penny of all people was lying on top of it. It gave off a bad vibe.

Sadly he didn't know the code and he wasn't willing to spend his time trying, so he'd have to leave it for now. But he wouldn't be forgetting it anytime soon, not when it _might_ have something to do with this whole mess. Or maybe it didn't, and was just a locked box from long ago, he didn't know. So with reluctance he turned away from the box and moved over to the generator, pushing down on the button as he went about restarting the generator. The ominous, absolute _silence_ that briefly overcame the whole place as he waited didn't help his nerves, but he powered on through and reactivated it.

It worked on the first try, to his relief, but that relief quickly faded when he recalled what happened every time prior. Without delay he turned and half-ran, half-crept over to the small gap behind the pipes, squishing his body in through the oddly tight spot. Pressing himself into the darkness he grimaced as he heard the thick metal door to the tunnel groan open, followed by swift footsteps and sharp taps on concrete. Glynda came into view quickly, her eyes set straight ahead as she walked halfway down the hall, stopped and waited for a few seconds, then turned and left.

He let out a sigh, _'One of these days I'm going to get cau-'_

That thought was interrupted as something quickly became apparent.

Why did he just feel something _move_?

As if on cue, warm breath hit the back of his neck, paralysing him with the realisation. Turning slowly as if to not scare a dangerous animal, he came face-to-face with the shadowed face of Penny, a pair of glowing green eyes illuminating her face in the darkness and revealing her painfully wide, shark-like smile. It took him a minute to realise the reason why the space was smaller; she had been against the back wall, and he was sitting in her lap. In any other situation he might've gotten flustered... but the whole impending death kept that side of him at bay.

 _''HELLO JAUNE!''_ Penny greeted in a disturbing, echoing tone that seemed more robotic than ever before, _''CAN YOU DIE NOW?''_

Not wasting a second, he ducked out towards the gap in the pipes. He wasn't quick enough before he felt something strike his leg, the force behind it surprising him for all of one second before he was propelled into the opposing wall, a harsh gasp escaping him at the spike of pain that wracked his body. Nothing broke, at least he didn't think so, but it would definitely bruise. Looking back, he felt the blood leave his face as the very robotic Penny crawled out from the gap on all fours like a demented spider, her glowing eyes promising nothing but suffering.

It spurred him enough to jump to his feet, ignoring the searing pain that erupted from his leg in the process. The only thing in his mind was to get away from the suddenly murderous Penny, and get away he did. His footsteps made resounding thuds on the steps as he all but threw open the door, coincidentally hitting someone in the face with it, before he burst into a sprint into the lobby. His cobalt eyes met the teal ones of Nora and he would've let out a curse if she didn't immediately sprint towards him, an eerie grin of maniacal delight on her face. Immediately doing a one-eighty, his eyes flickered about the darkness, looking for an out and only met with the choice of the bathroom.

With the alternate choice of being mauled to death by robot-like girls, he didn't hesitate on it. The bathroom door swung open and was quickly slammed shut as he spun around, flashlight flickering to every corner of the room to look for exits. Like when he peeked in a few nights ago, the ivory tiles were damaged in more than a few places, some missing entirely to reveal the grim concrete beneath. The stalls on the left were worn but remarkably still on their hinges, though the mirror on the right wall of the room held a large crack in it and was dirty, the sinks worn and damaged in more than a few places.

A glance was all he needed to take before he dove over to the stalls, taking the one farthest to the door. He nearly knocked the door of its hinges with how hard he pulled it open, but he steadied it to stop it moving and then hopped atop the grimy toilet to hide his feet. Looking down, he realised there was no water in the toilet, yet rust was very clear, the once-perfect porcelain bearing a multitude of cracks upon it. If it didn't shatter under his sudden weight, it'd be a miracle.

He was shattered from his thoughts as the bathroom door slammed open, the sharp crack of wood on porcelain tiles a horrible cacophony in such an enclosed space. A single set of heavy footsteps, Nora's if he were to guess, stomped into the room with all the mad bloodlust of a rampaging bull. Silence only reigned for a beautiful few seconds before the doors started opening.

 _SLAM!_

The sound echoed throughout the room, if not the whole building with its volume.

 _SLAM!_

Was she planning to go down the line entirely, leaving him trapped in the corner of the room?

 _SLAM!_

His eyes darted about frantically, looking to see if there was a second escape route. None.

 _SLAM!_

The stall next to his slammed open. He was tempted to shut his eyes to prevent himself seeing his own death, but a sudden beeping snapped him out of it, his eyes darting down to his watch that read three in the morning. Halfway through the night. That would've been good, had it not also made him realise the abrupt silence in the room. He could hear breathing, _two_ sets of breathing, but nobody made a sound. The chilly atmosphere of the bathroom seemed to become more prominent, oppressively weighing down on him like a mound of rocks.

His breathing hitched when the stall door slowly slid open, spelling his impending doom as a head poked in through the gap. He was greeted by the sight of Nora as she looked dead at him... and winked, before pulling back out of the stall.

''Hm... nothing in here!''

With that, one set of footfalls left the room, followed by a second shortly afterwards. As the door swung closed, he released a breath he didn't realise he was holding. That had been close, _too close_. Unlike other times, if he had been caught here the chances of escape were close to zero, unless he could force his way past and run back to the room quick enough. That wasn't even counting the likely chance of running into someone else.

Pulling up his tablet, which he had miraculously not dropped in his panicked run, he flicked through the cameras. Neo, Weiss and Blake were missing from all the cameras, Ruby and Nora were sitting in the cafeteria, Glynda was in Pyrrha's starting room, Pyrrha herself was in the lobby, Yang was still in her room, Velvet was in the shadows of the cafeteria and the fashionista was just outside the bathroom door, though her sunglasses were oddly broken. Weird.

Oh, and Penny was missing.

Lovely.

Shaking that thought off, he slowly pushed the door of the stall open once more, finding the rest of the room to be empty to his relief. Creeping over to the door, he kept an eye on the fashionista as she trudged past back towards the cafeteria before disappearing into the kitchen. A quick check at all the cameras showed a brief, _very brief_ window to get back to his office. Steadying himself he sucked in a breath, before charging out. He had no doubt all of them heard the door smack against the wall, but whether or not they would act upon it was another matter entirely. His leg burned as he ran through the lobby, heart pounding in his chest as he kept an iron grip on his flashlight and tablet.

It was only when he nearly reached his room did he pick up the soft but swift footsteps behind him, though he didn't dare turn back to see who it was. He didn't even get it fully through the doorway before he pressed the button to close the door, the thick metal narrowly missing his head before he fell inside the office, a thud coming from the metal door with enough force to _shake_ it. Closing the left door, his attention immediately went to the camera outside the right hall to find who was chasing him-

-only to find nobody.

 _'What?'_ He thought in bewilderment. He _swore_ he heard footsteps behind him, no, he _knew_ someone was behind him.

Frowning, he lowered the tablet and glanced up to the vent, grimacing at the single screw holding the vent in place. Blake had been busy it seems. His attention however was turned to the desk as he caught sight of a note; pristine as from a freshly printed book. Slowly, he reached out and plucked the note, frowning in confusion down at the words.

 _ **I was the second to fall, and will be the second last to fade**_

 _ **I'm sorry**_

Vague as ever, but he couldn't help but feel worry squirm in his stomach at the... almost solemn nature of the note. Second to fall? Did something happen to her? Did she... _die_? Was she a guard here at one point, and lost her life? What did the second part mean? Second last to fade? Was she in danger... was she going to be taken over by the supposed programming? She hadn't been so far but now that he thought about it, the time until the others 'broke out' of it was getting longer and longer as the week went on, so it was possible it was harder for her to resist it. Would she end up like that forever like Velvet, or would she break out of it near the end of the night?

More importantly... why was she sorry?

Before he could continue down that train of thought he jumped as several rapid knocks came from his left door, followed by a friendly voice, ''Hello Jauney!''

''Nora?'' He blinked in surprise. He hadn't noticed her coming.

''That's a-me!'' She replied in a chipper tone. After a moment of deliberation, he unlocked the door, allowing her to skip inside. That explained why she hadn't killed him earlier; she was no longer under the influence.

His attention went back to the tablet, even as she took a seat on his lap. Velvet now lurked out in the right hall, forcing him to keep the right door closed lest she burst right in. Heavy footfalls to the left forced him to close the other door as well, before flicking to the camera to check. It was Pyrrha, no surprise there... but something was wrong. He didn't notice it immediately, but her head... it was twitching, _violently_. Jerking left and right rapidly only to return to its initial position in less than a split second. It wasn't natural. Not for a human, not for a robot.

Then again, shattering into glass shards wasn't normal either.

''Do you know anything about this, Nora?'' He asked, gesturing to the camera as the twitching Pyrrha stared blankly at the steel door before her.

As his watch beeped over to four, Nora spoke, ''I can't.''

''Bad things happen?'' He sighed.

''Bad things happen.'' She agreed with a nervous chuckle.

He turned his gaze back to the tablet, brows furrowing in thought. Was 'bad things happen' what happened to Weiss? They get taken over by the programming once more? Maybe permanently? It would be understandable if they feared that, being forever trapped and unable to break out for the rest of time. He wouldn't condemn his worst enemies to that. He hoped Weiss was alright.

His attention was grabbed as Glynda walked into the lobby, her hand glowing purple before the camera abruptly went off. He tensed, flicking to the other two camera on the left and right hall, catching sight of the tall blonde walking up the left staircase. Suddenly a mop of blonde hair appeared around the corner, surprising him as Yang came barrelling down the hall, passing by the spot where Velvet once lurked. He flinched as her fist impacted against the metal door with a solid _thud_ , followed by another punch, then another, over and over again as she slammed her fists into it, rattling the door each time.

Pyrrha stomped away in sync with his watch ticking over to four, but that was muted by the increasingly loud thunderous punches again the door, which was slowly denting inwards. Abruptly she stopped, her form stiff for several long moments before she suddenly bent down, her fingers grasping at the bottom of the door in vain to get a grip on it. He was taken aback when she managed to pry her fingers under it somehow, the metal groaning as it was forcibly lifted back upwards.

''Hide under the desk.'' Nora whispered in his ear, ''I'll hide you.''

He didn't question her, scampering under the desk and making himself as small as possible. It wasn't very big, since the desk was flat and had the supports by the sides, leaving the middle empty and with barely enough room for him to squish inside. Before he could ask how he was supposed to hide, his office hair was placed on its side in front of him, the back of it mostly covering him from being spotted. Nora herself sat in front of the chair, leaving him in partial darkness as she hid him.

The door gave one last groan before it reached the halfway mark, instantly sliding right back up the rest of the way automatically. He held his breath, catching sight of the long blonde hair swishing as she stormed in the room, only able to see the top of her head from his position. She stood in the doorway for a painfully long moment, her head turning to the side several times, before settling facing towards his position, making him tense reflexively.

''Hey Yang!'' Nora cheerfully greeted, ''Have you seen Jaune? I can't find him anywhere!''

Yang didn't respond, standing there motionless for several long moments, before abruptly turning and walking away. He waited for a few seconds before pulling up his tablet, confirming that Yang left the right hall before he closed the door once more. Grimly, he noted his power was discomfortingly low; nearly down to 25%. If he was forced to keep the doors up any longer than he currently had, it'd be a pretty messy situation.

He was released from his prison as Nora pulled the chair away, allowing him to crawl back into the light and actually breath comfortably. Too damn stuffy there. Shaking his head, he refocused his attention back on the cameras. Ruby was coming down the left hall, a small but genuine smile on her face as she all but skipped towards his office. Skipping over the cameras, he spotted Velvet peeking out from the bathroom door, her creepy smile glowing in the darkness. The fashionista was sitting at one of the cafeteria tables with a stern Glynda walking around in the kitchen, Blake and Weiss were still missing and Yang was back in her starting room, whilst Pyrrha was also in her starting room.

Oh, and Penny was still missing.

 _Lovely._

''Do you know where Penny is hiding?'' He asked as he took his seat, looking at Nora.

Nora just beamed a smile back, ''Nope!''

Before any conversation could continue, several knocks came from the left door, and a quick check revealing it to be Ruby. He didn't even need to call out to her to check she was sane-of-mind, not with that happy smile on her face instead of the twisted one.

His decision was the correct one, ''Hey Jaune!''

He smiled in greeting at the cheerful girl, nodding in greeting as his attention was grabbed by Pyrrha, who was also coming down the left hall. Unlike Ruby however she did not look bright and happy, instead her expression was one of insanity and frustration. He didn't hesitate to close the left door, leaving her to pound on it for a few moments before stomping away.

''Did you bring any more cookies?'' Ruby asked excitedly, almost drooling at the thought.

He chuckled and shook his head, ''Sorry Ruby, I don't have any today.''

''Aw~''

''Sorry, I'll try grab some for tomorrow.'' He smiled, patting her on the head. He got a smile in return, accompanied by a cute blush.

''Hehe... thanks.'' Ruby smiled shyly.

Their conversation was cut short as soft, rhythmic thudding came from the vents drew attention immediately. A moment later a pair of golden eyes appeared behind the grate, staring into his own endlessly. However, unlike before she did not back away, instead unscrewing the vent all the while staring straight into his eyes. He tensed, looking to Nora and Ruby, both who looked completely calm and unbothered by the oncoming threat. They had clearly seen it, hell they were staring straight at Blake.

Before he could make a move to flee, the screw came loose and dropped onto the desk with a deafening chink. Unlike before however she did not come launching at him, instead the grate was knocked off its hinges, landing on the desk in front of him. Like a snake she deftly slid out of the vent, flipping herself over herself and landing on his desk, legs folded in front of herself and a book in her hands, as if she had been reading the whole time and not done a flip that would make a gymnastic proud.

''Hey Blake!'' Nora joyfully exclaimed.

''Hello.'' The black-haired beauty replied coolly, not taking her eyes off her book, ''Sorry about the vent, Jaune.''

''Ah... its no problem.'' He smiled, waving off her apology. Then again since she was the only one who actually used it, the fact it was open wasn't much of a concern.

Unless others decided to make use of the opening.

Hopefully not.

His watch beeping over to five in the morning brought him from his thoughts. That was another point of confusion he had never gotten an answer for; why time moved so quickly. When he first started it was easy to wave it off as stress, losing focus or simply not noticing it, but he distinctly remembered it ticking over to four only a minute or two ago, back when Yang was at the door. He hesitated to ask the question to the rooms current occupants, but the knowledge of already knowing what answer he would get held his tongue. Bad things happen.

Turning his attention back to the camera, he flinched as he found Penny... within the utility tunnel, _right in front of the camera_. She grinned widely, _insanely_ up into it, her face all but pressed up against it as her formally kind green eyes shone with malicious delight, like a sadistic torturer. She didn't blink, didn't move, didn't even breath, just stared.

Quickly he flicked to another camera, not wanting to look at her terrifying visage any longer. After checking both halls he reluctantly opened the doors to conserve power, which was trickling down to 17% now. Velvet was in the cafeteria, Glynda was in Hall B, Weiss was still missing, Yang was in her starting room and Pyrrha was, presumably, in the bathroom if her heavy breathing and hysterical whispers were anything to go by. The fashionista was in the kitchen, a dusty old magazine in her hands that her eyes wandered over almost lazily.

''By the way guys...'' He spoke up, drawing the attention of his companions, his _friends_ , ''What's the fashionista's name? I never caught it.''

''Coco.'' Blake answered coolly, her golden eyes staring into his own for only a brief moment before she went back to her book.

''Like the stuff in hot chocolate?'' He queried innocently. Nora and Ruby stifled a giggle, while Blake just gave a small amused smile.

''Yes, and don't let her hear you said that.'' Blake replied, amusement clear in her tone.

Yeah, he had a feeling if she heard he'd be thrown through a wall. Girl was stronger than she looked, and scary when pissed off. As if hearing his thoughts, the newly named Coco turned to glare at the camera, which he responded with by switching cameras. If nothing else it meant he didn't have to look at her frosty glare.

''We need to get going.'' Blake spoke up, a note of reluctance in her tone as she closed her book. She bid him a goodbye nod before swiftly walking past him and out the same door Neo left from.

''Aw... so soon.'' Nora pouted, but shifted away reluctantly, ''Bye Jaune~''

She gave him a goodbye peck on the cheek, making the heat rise to his cheeks as she skipped out. Next to him Ruby pouted, grabbing his attention as she gave her own goodbye kiss on his cheek before skipping out, but not before calling out to bring cookies tomorrow. He smiled, leaning back into his chair as he flicked through the cameras. Despite not technically being off the hook, nearly half of the supposed animatronics were no longer under the programming, while the other half were keeping their distance, granting him a reason to be relaxed.

He stiffened however as he caught sight of Weiss, exiting from the library in a hurry. Without preamble or the calm she had normally excluded, she tossed a pristine piece of paper in the vague direction of the office before storming towards her starting room, one hand grasping at her head with a grimace of pain on her face. He frowned at the action, wanting nothing more to go and ask what was wrong... but with the others still about, he didn't have much of a choice.

Now that he thought about it, why was she in the library this whole time? She must've left the note in his room, so she wasn't immobile the entire night, but why didn't she leave? Was it because of the programming, or something else?

Would she be okay?

So many questions and so little answers, as always. He was tempted to storm up to Cinder's office and demand answers, but given the fact she might not even know about the others... well, it would be a dumb thing to do, both for his job and for his friends. The only people who knew what was going on, and willing to tell or elude about it, was Neo and Weiss. One of them was mute, and the other was suffering. Wonderful.

He was snapped from his melancholic thoughts as his watch beeped, signalling it was six and time for him to leave. Heaving a sigh he picked up his flashlight from its spot on the floor and walking out into the left hall. The stuffy air of the place was already being refreshed by gusts of cool air from the now-open doors, an almost melodic tune whistling through them as the chirping of birds accompanied it. His eyes however were drawn to the pristine piece of paper, the ends of it slightly torn as if roughly dislodged from a book. Picking it up, he frowned at the scrawled words upon it.

 _ **I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry**_

 _ **Coco can help you**_

 _ **I'm sorry Winter**_

 _ **I failed**_

 _ **I'm sorry everyone**_

 _ **I'm sorry**_

 _'What happened to you, Weiss?'_ He pondered morosely, gently folding the piece of paper and pocketing it. What was she sorry for? The statement that Coco could help him was dubious, given her apparent dislike of him. Was Winter a person, or was she talking about the season? How did she fail, and why was she sorry? Her note only brought more damn questions to deal with, but his heart couldn't be annoyed at her, not when she was like... this.

Turning towards the door, he was surprised by the sight of another note. Unlike Weiss' one however, this one was old and worn, the paper gaining a yellow hue to it due to its age rather than dye. Even as he approached, he could see the horribly bad writing over it, much more disorganised and messy than Weiss' one.

 **HOW** _ **Do you lIke g**_ **r** _ **o**_ **un** _ **d** **zEro?**_

 _'Ground zero?'_ He wondered in confusion, looking around him. Did they mean the first floor? He assumed so, it was the only thing logical to it after all.

Walking towards the doors, he froze as he swore he heard footsteps, but glancing behind him he found none. Shrugging to himself, he - albeit hesitantly - walked out of the building and into the morning sun, his face set into a frown at what he had to think on.

Unbeknownst to him, a figure lurked behind the corner of one of the halls, a single caramel eye watching him go.

 _'Will you end this nightmare... Jaune Arc?'_

* * *

 **A/N: Done! Haaah!**

 **This took far longer than I had expected, and more writers block than I had in the past month alone. Its one of the benefits of attempting to write no less than a dozen stories; it means that your time is always productive, but it means the overall amount of work done on each story is much thinner spread.**

 **Maybe its not a benefit...**

 **Regardless, quite a few subtle hints and teases. Something is looming in the background, the hinges are weakening and the chains are breaking. What is happening to Weiss? Where has Neo been? What of the notes? What of the code on the box? Perhaps it has been shown in previous chapters, you never know.**

 **Only three more chapters to go ladies and gentleman; Night 6, Interlude 4 and then Night 7, the final night and ending.**

 **Until then~**


	10. Night Six

**A/N: I don't know why, but the start of this chapter just _does not work_ no matter how many times I re-do it. It's driven me up the wall the past few days, it just _looks_ wrong for some reason. **

**Work has been intense recently, so sorry for it taking 3+ weeks to get this out.**

 **Side note; I hate this new mouse, has a button on the side to go 'backwards' on internet pages... and incidentally has cost me 3K words on this chapter alone by accidentally pressing it. Absolutely livid.**

 **I DO NOT OWN RWBY**

* * *

 _ **Night 6**_

* * *

It seemed as the week continued to progress, the further his nerves became frayed.

Simply stepping inside the building sent a sharp shiver up his spine like a charge of electricity, his gut swimming and wrenching like clothes in a washing machine. The air felt thick and oppressive, the walls almost looming over him as his fear made him see things that weren't there. There was nothing, everything was as it always was at the start of the night. Even the carpets were as fresh as ever. He had spent most of his time before work thinking about what the code could be, but drew up a blank at every turn. It wasn't like he simply had been given it, had he?

He held back a sigh, swiftly walking to his office as he pulled the tablet up and flicked through the cameras. After a moment of thought, he left the camera on Nora, waiting to see how she would react as he sat himself down. She was always the first one active, sans Neo given she was apparently an exception.

Nora was as still and lifeless as a doll, her eyes void of life and her body unmoving. She remained like that for nearly twenty seconds before jolting to life, as if getting an electrical shock. Her turquoise eyes gained life to them, sparkling with an unidentifiable emotion before they were washed behind a wave of twisted elation, like the eyes of a dog just told they'd be getting a full steak. Without preamble she lurched to her feet and broke out into a stumbling sprint, shoulder-bashing the door open and sending it smacking into the wall.

The left door of his office slammed shut before she was even halfway across the building. Even still she charged forth, ramming face-first into the door and collapsing onto the floor like a puppet with its string cut. She didn't get up. One second turned to two, then three, then five, then ten, all the while she remained completely motionless. He was tempted to open the door but held back the urge, which seemed to be the right choice as she abruptly came back to life. He swore he heard her murmur something before she stormed away, showing no signs of what had previously transpired.

His attention was grabbed as Ruby came creeping down the right hallway, prompting him to close said door while opening the left one. Her creepy grin was as present as always, her head bowed slightly as her hair hid her normally ethereally glowing eyes, her shoulders twitching as if suppressing a laugh. She skipped down the hall with an air of disturbed giddiness and he _swore_ he heard music playing in the background. He was forced to remove his eyes from the camera as the flow of fresh air ceased and soft thumping came from the ventilation. He sent a flat stare up at Blake, who stared back with emotionless golden eyes before they faded back into the darkness of the vents.

Ruby left in tandem, allowing him to open the door as he flicked through the cameras. However he was taken aback briefly as he caught sight of Weiss, her ponytail whipping behind her just before she vanished into the library door, letting the old wooden doors close with a soft thud. He wasn't sure what it was, but as they closed the air itself felt warmer as if someone had turned off the ventilation, though that couldn't be it given said ventilation was still going strong. He checked over all the cameras, finding the route to the library was clear, and hesitated for only a moment.

He needed answers.

His footsteps were as quiet and muffled as he could make them as he crept towards the library. He shifted uncomfortably as he reached the lobby, the humid air making him sweat and the stuffy air like dust just exploded in his face. Shaking the thought off, he approached the library doors, the twisting shadows around them making it seem all the more ominous than it probably was. He hesitated again, but the sound of heavy metal footsteps coming from the upper left hallway made the decision for him instantly.

Pushing open the old wooden doors, he winced at the almost deafeningly loud groan they released as he slipped inside the strangely expansive library. He relaxed however at the sudden influx of cool air, all but washing away the uncomfortable heat that permeated the building. Glancing around, he didn't spot Weiss for a moment, before he saw her. She stood at the opposite end of the room, her back to him as she looked downwards towards a table. She was perfectly still, not even twitching as he slowly walked towards her, even the sound of his watch beeping over to one in the morning did nothing.

''Weiss?'' He called out, a nervous feeling of dread building in his stomach when she didn't respond.

Still, he continued forwards, every step progressively slower, as if gravity itself was weighing down on him. The room seemed to tilt slightly on its axis, distorting the closer he got, but he shook the feeling off. No wasn't time to be scared. Something that caught his attention quickly, however, was the thin layer of frost that was present on the surrounding tables, something that was _clearly_ unnatural. Now that he thought about it, it felt less 'cool' here and more 'chilly', if not 'cold'.

The pit in his stomach grew so heavy he found himself stopping just under a few feet from Weiss, his hand outstretched to touch her shoulder, but found a sudden sense of _wrongness_ in the air. As if sensing his thoughts, the snow angel before him slowly turned, her body still unnaturally stiff as she turned towards him. His voice died in his throat as he saw the impossibly wide smile on her face, full of a twisted elation that he would never understand. However her eyes were what caught his attention.

Lifeless.

They were completely blank. Unlike Ruby or Nora, who had an insane vibe in theirs, or Velvet and Pyrrha who bore a psychotic one, hers were completely void of anything. Her alluring icy blue seemed dimmed, reduced to a weak grey colour, as if the colour itself had been drained from her being. Yet despite her lifeless eyes, the smile remained, a complete and disturbing contrast that emphasised the wrongness of the situation. For whatever reason though, he couldn't tear his eyes away, an ethereal force keeping his eyes locked onto hers.

Then like a marionette doll she tilted her head at him, her neck completely slack as if the string supporting it went lax. She said nothing, but took a step towards him, her leg awkwardly jerking forwards like a toy doll. He recoiled as she lurched towards him, her eerie grin seemingly widening before she suddenly _moved_ , crossing the distance between them in a heartbeat, something in her hands glistening in the meagre light. He moved to the side, tripping over a chair leg as he felt something sweep past him, narrowly missing his face.

He glanced up at Weiss, a shiver of fear running up his spine at the sight of her dead gaze at him. She lurched forwards again, prompting him to roll to the left in a meagre attempt to dodge. It worked, whatever sharp object in her hands missing his arm by a hairs length as he rolled under a table, coming out the other side. He didn't waste a second this time, pushing himself to his feet and moving hastily along the length of the aisle, worn and weary bookshelves on his left and right. He heard Weiss' jerky footsteps follow him as he took a sharp left, against the wall as he burst into a run back towards the library exit. The only saving grace was that Weiss was-

 _''Hello Jaune~''_

-slow.

His heart leapt into his throat as she suddenly popped out of one of the aisles in front of him, causing him to stumble and nearly get impaled by the sharp object - a knife? He couldn't tell. He stumbled past her, feeling her lithe hand ghost over his head as he continue bolting towards the exit. He could've sworn the library wasn't _this_ large when he entered. He heard her footsteps behind him, startlingly quick compared to before. Just as he was about to duck into another aisle he reached the end of the room, the door in the corner of his vision. Without delay he put new energy into his sprint, rushing towards the exit of this cold hell.

When he yanked on the doors however... they didn't open. Locked. He pulled again but they refused to bunch, barely rattling in place. His mind suddenly _screamed_ to move and he obeyed, once again narrowly avoided getting struck with the sharp object. As he moved his flashlight landed on the object. It was the toothpick that she had used every night beforehand with her notes, though it was less a toothpick and more a miniature sword, a rapier if he guessed correctly. He didn't have time to ponder on the odd feeling he got from it as she mechanically lashed out at him again, forcing him to back away and bolt back into the aisles in an attempt to lose her.

He took a sharp left, just in time to avoid her coming out of the aisle ahead of him, despite her footsteps being behind him only a moment ago. He ignored that, rushing towards the opposite end of the room in an attempt to confuse her, however futile. He ducked inside an aisle and crawled underneath a collapsed bookshelf, immediately turning off his lights and keeping his breathing as low as possible. The entire room was painfully silent for a long few moments, before he heard light footsteps a few aisles away. Then across the room. Then in the aisle ahead of him. It was like she was damn teleporting, though given what Neo had done he supposed it wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

As he hid, his eyes caught sight of something across the room, back where Weiss had been. It was another one of those small toothpick-rapier things, this one impaled onto a half-destroyed table out in the open, with it something that looked like a picture. Was that what she had been looking at? And if so, why?

His gut feeling was the thing that urged him out of hiding, creeping as quietly as he could down the aisles, flinching every time he heard her footsteps around him. He ended up in one of the back aisles closest to the table, waiting until Weiss was out of sight. His chance came quickly, as he burst into a sprint towards the table, removing the toothpick and throwing it aside, taking the picture off the desk, his eyes immediately drawn to it as he shined his flashlight on it.

It was him, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Nora and Pyrrha. They were all clad in a uniform of similar design, with him wearing a rather smart black jacket lined with gold, blue vest and white shirt with a red tie, with matching black slacks and smart shoes. The girls were wearing a brown jacket, tan vest and white shirt with a red ribbon at the collar, joined with a red plaid skirt and black shoes, some of them wearing stockings. They all bore expressions of cheer, with himself, Ruby, Nora and Yang smiling openly while Blake, Pyrrha and Weiss bore more reserved smiles. Yet something felt missing in the picture, like something else should be present. He caught a hint of pink in the corner of the worn picture, and assumed whatever was there had been worn away, given how badly maintained and worn the picture was.

He heard sudden footsteps behind him, making him tense up, his head jerking to look over his shoulder. Fear spiked in his chest as he saw the dead-eyed Weiss behind him, her hand raised and odd object in hand. However he was taken by surprise when she was sudden shoved to the side, a tan had all but swatting her aside. She went tumbling off to the side, awkwardly landing on a small stack of books and going limp like a doll, before slowly coming back to her feet. Turning his eyes off the demented Weiss, his eyes widened in surprise as they met the cold brown eyes of the fashionista.

''Go.'' She didn't so much as say as demand, and he didn't hesitate to follow her command. He rushed past her towards the now-open door, muttering out a thanks as he went.

The temperature difference between the library and lobby was harsh, and he almost felt the urge to go back inside just to stay away from the heat. He shook that thought off immediately, rushing back towards his office as he pulled up the camera, sighing in relief as he saw nobody nearby. For now, at least. As he collapsed into his seat he caught sight of Nora as she came rushing out of the bathroom, his left door closing before she reached it. With a thud she crashed into it, stumbling backwards before leaving immediately.

His eyes darted up to the vent as he heard something moving, catching sight of one missing screw from the hatch. He waited a few moments but no golden eyes showed up, causing him to narrow his eyes. That was unusual. He was broken from his thoughts as Pyrrha came stomping down his left hall, only to meet his closed door a moment later. The moment he heard a slight creak in the right hall he closed that door as well, which proved to be the right call as Velvet was now present behind the stack of boxes.

 _'I wonder what would happen if I just removed the boxes?'_ He wondered. Technically if he moved them away she wouldn't have anywhere to hide, but then again he might get in trouble for that. Maybe something to check next week.

If he was here next week, that is.

As his watch beeped over to two in the morning he flicked through the cameras, only to flinch as he heard the ear-piercing screeching of metal being rent asunder. Checking the lobby camera he wasn't surprised to see the elevator doors being pried open by the same invisible force as prior nights, a feat that still confused him but he didn't question it. As Pyrrha's whispering ceased and her heavy footsteps echoed out of the hall he opened the left door-

''You should really be more alert.''

He jumped, his head snapping towards the left door in time to meet the cold brown eyes of the fashionista. Before he could even consider closing the door she almost casually walked inside, brown hair swaying as she did, her cold eyes locked onto his own relentlessly. With an eerie grace she came to a stop behind him, slowly taking a seat on the radiator, her face void of what she was thinking.

''Uh... hi?''

Not a good way to start a conversation.

''You're an idiot, you know that?''

He grimaced, ''Sorry...?''

''Chasing after Weiss like that.'' The fashionista clarified, ''Pretty sure she left a note about losing control.''

''I was worried about her.'' He defended with a frown, ''I wasn't sure if she was... _sane_ or not.''

''She's not, and she won't be for the rest of the night.'' She said gruffly.

 _'Well then there's always tomorrow... hopefully._ _'_ He sighed quietly, before speaking up, ''What about you? I don't remember seeing you _ever_ under the programming, at least not that I've noticed.''

He swore he saw her lips twitch. Was that supposed to be funny?

''You're right on that, the grandiose 'programming' hasn't turned on me yet.'' Coco stated, before glaring, ''Though I suppose it won't really matter, since this is the last day I'll be free from it.''

Well that wasn't ominous at all, ''Why? Is something bad happening to you tomorrow?''

Coco snorted, her cold expression intensifying, ''It'll happen to _all_ of us.''

Well that was even more ominous, and worrying.

''Is there anything I can do to help?'' He asked, eyes flicking to the tablet in order to close both doors, ensuring they wouldn't be interrupted.

A flash of surprise flickered through her eyes as he said that, as if she hadn't expected that, before they hardened again. ''I'm... not sure. I doubt you're capable anyway.''

''I can try at least.'' He insisted.

Coco stared at him, her cold eyes boring into his own as a myriad of emotions flickered through her brown irises. Annoyance, anger, disdain... but also fear, worry and a glimmer of hope. He couldn't even begin to fathom _why_ she was feeling those emotions, but he could certainly take a guess. This place was far from pleasant, after all.

''In the utility tunnel, there's a box.'' She finally stated slowly, looking away, ''It requires a code.''

''Yeah, I saw it before, Penny is usually on it.''

She nodded, ''That's the one. As for the code, you'll need it if you want to survive tomorrow. Maybe even...''

Coco paused, before shaking her head, ''It doesn't matter. What does matter is you getting the code for the box.''

He quirked a brow, ''So where can I find it?''

''Your family should know.''

He froze in shock, both by her admission and the return of the topic. An ugly feeling of displeasure, nigh anger built up in his gut but he suppressed it. She wasn't being aggressive and he didn't want to set her off. Suppressing his feelings on the matter, he replied as evenly as possible.

''And how do I ask them?''

''Use your eyes.'' She snorted, ''The code is long, but not scattered. Joined, but not horizontally. Missed, but not forgotten.''

He gave her a dubious look, ''And that's supposed to mean...?''

Coco gave him a hard stare, ''Work it out for yourself, idiot.''

He opened his mouth to retort, but the light flickering overhead silenced him, a groan escaping instead. Glancing at his tablet, he grimaced at the sight of Nora crouched outside his left door, almost as if aware of what was about to happen. He glanced at Coco but she just gave a dismissive wave. Double-checking the right hall and the lobby before he unlocked the right door. Without preamble he all but leapt out of his chair, swiftly jogging down the hall as he tried to ignore the oppressive atmosphere of the large room. For a brief moment he got a wave of Deja-vu before he shook it off, focusing at the task of hand.

Not a moment later he heard the left door he had closed unlock as the power supply was cut off, the light in the office going out and plunging him into otherwise pitch-blackness, sans the light of his tablet and flashlight. Flickering the cone of light around the lobby, he was greeted with emptiness... and yet that made him even more uneasy, like it _shouldn't_ be so empty. Pulling up his tablet and taking cover behind some boxes, he flicked through the cameras hastily. Nobody was in his path to the tunnel aside from Velvet, who was poking her head from the bathroom, and Glynda was who walking towards Hall B.

He bunkered down and waited, listening intently for Glynda's sharp heels tapping against the floor. They got closer and closer... before they stopped completely. He waited with baited breath, but she didn't continue moving. He was tempted to look up, but remained still, the fear of coming face-to-face with the stern blonde making the choice for him. It was the right choice, it seemed, as a few seconds later he heard the unmistakable sounds of heels tapping as she walked past his hiding spot before gradually disappearing up one of the staircases.

Poking his head out, he had to fight the urge to release a sigh, the prospect of being found because of it stopping him. Tentatively he crept out of his hiding spot, only to pause at the corner of Hall B, immediately recalling the other hurdle; namely Velvet. Pulling up his tablet his face was set into a frown as he saw the swaying door, indicating Velvet had either abruptly left, or was more likely hiding within. Changing to the bathroom camera, he didn't _hear_ anything, but then again last time he didn't hear anything and still got jumped.

Mulling over his choices, the sound of footsteps from the area behind him made the choice. He crept forwards, being extra careful to be quiet and hugging the wall, as if to hide from the statues within the cafeteria, namely Ruby and Yang. His breath hitched as his watch beeped over to three, before sighing in relief as nobody reacted, at least not noticeably. Hurrying forward as fast as he dared, he slipped inside the maintenance tunnel and swiftly made his way towards the generator, trying and failing to ignore the ominous nigh-living shadows around him.

One thing caught his eye immediately though.

Penny was missing.

Trying in vain to calm the sudden urge to flee, he continued down the hall. As he passed by the spot that had been his hiding place the past few times, he paused, glancing nervously into the darkness. Nothing was there, even after confirming by shining his flashlight on it, meaning there was little to no places she could be hiding. Where was she then? Somewhere else in the building, or in the bathroom? It was possible, so he'd have to avoid the bathroom and library, not that he had any desire to go back to the latter.

Crouching down in front of the generator, he depressed the button and waited, his gut churning at the abrupt silence that ensued as the old machine went silent. He could hear the faint footsteps of the others outside the tunnel, walking about aimlessly. Turning his attention back to the generator he grimaced as it failed to restart, and failed the second time... then the third... then the fourth... _over and over again_.

By the seventh time he was in a cold sweat, internally cursing up a storm as he willed the machine to start, the oppressive darkness almost suffocating in it's intensity. The slightest sound, whether it be a cracking noise or the sound of dripping water caused him to flinch and flash his light around the tunnel, fearful of any looming danger. He almost collapsed in relief as the generator started up once more, turning on the overhead light and restoring control to the doors by his office.

Key word to that being _almost_.

 _DRIP_

 _DRIP_

 _DRIP_

He blinked, his eyes widening as he stared at the generator, now illuminated in full. Black tar-like liquid was draped all over the thing, the inky darkness staining the machine. Some of it looked dry, meaning it had been there for at least a few minutes. Some of it was fresh though, shiny and almost absorbing the light of his torch. It was a miracle he hadn't accidentally touched it when he had been fiddling with the generator, and even more worrying that he hadn't noticed it prior.

 _DRIP_

He froze, staring as a droplet of the inky black liquid fell onto the generator, sticking to it like the tar it resembled. With his senses alert, his ears picked up the low, husky panting that now filled the tunnel. Tilting his head back slowly, his cobalt eyes locked onto a small crack in the roof, so thin he could barely see through it, but another droplet of inky black liquid confirmed he wasn't seeing things. Before he could do anything, he heard a feral snarl before the sound of four limbs pattering against concrete reached his ears, and the panting grew further and further away.

Something had been watching him.

Something inhuman.

Without delay he turned and hastily rushed out of the room, his fight-or-flight in full effect. He barely had the mind to check the cameras as he moved, a grimace crossing his face at the sight of Ruby standing in the middle of the lobby, staring straight into the camera with a deranged smile on her face. As luck would have it, however, she was the only one who was in his path. Pyrrha, Yang and Blake were in the bedrooms while Nora, Velvet and Glynda were in the kitchen. Coco, Penny and Weiss were off the grid though, meaning they were either in the bathroom of library, neither of which he was keen on entering.

Creeping out into the hall he glanced over to the lobby, finding Ruby facing away from him as she stared at the elevator, completely still and oblivious to his presence. Taking a breath he moved as fast as he could without making noise, the floorboards silent as he rushed behind some boxes and waited. He didn't dare peek out, instead flicking the camera on and off. She only moved when he wasn't looking at her through the camera, so it was easy to keep track of her progress towards Hall B. When she got close he pressed himself against the floor, remaining silent as he heard her soft breathing and gentle footsteps pass him by.

As she left he swiftly moved ahead, swallowing his nerves as he made his way to the right hall of his office, completely void of life.

That was the plan, until a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

''Hey Jaune...'' Ruby spoke from behind him, her body pressed against his back as if giving him a hug.

''Y-Yes?'' He tried (and evidently failed) to keep his voice level.

''Wanna hug?''

He didn't get a chance to reply before she hugged him, _tightly_. The breath was harshly knocked from his lungs, his arms pinned to his sides. He struggled against her, but her grip was inhumanly tight, leaving him unable to even move in the slightest. His legs were free, but kicking at her legs didn't get any reaction. He began flailing as he realised he couldn't breathe, but all she did was giggle as he tried to make himself fall over, even lifting his own legs up... only to watch numbly as she held him up despite him being taller, heavier and larger than she was.

Darkness crept in at the corners of his vision, the beeping of his watch over to four a dull buzzing in his ears as the world around him seemed to fade to grey, his consciousness fading. His flailing bled away to weak struggles, his limbs heavy and sluggish to the point he considered just giving up. Game over.

That would've been his choice, had the ironclad grip around him not abruptly been pulled back, allowing him to breathe once more. He gasped, falling to the floor as he wheezed in deep gulps of air, idly noting he was sweating. From fear or otherwise, he didn't know nor care. He laid there for a few long moments before glancing behind him, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of Neo keeping Ruby pinned down, gracefully pirouetting around the red-clad girl, constantly pulling or pushing in just the right way to prevent Ruby from getting her footing.

Neo shot him a glance, giving an off-handed gesture towards his office, which he quickly complied with. Pushing himself up, he came face to face... with the floor. A grunt escaped him as he fell flat on his face, his arms having given out from under him. He pushed himself up a second time, stumbling down the hall and using the wall as a support. He all but collapsed into his office chair, having enough sense in himself to close both doors before sagging in his seat, his erratic breathing the only sound in the room, the blood still pumping loudly in his ears.

His eyes drifted over to his desk, where three screws laid, only one remaining in the ventilation hatch. He pulled up his tablet and checked on the lobby, revealing it to be empty. Flicking through the cameras he found Ruby now in the cafeteria, while Neo was nowhere in sight, neither was Coco or Weiss. His attention was grabbed abruptly as Nora came running down the left staircase, bolting towards the left door only to run face-first into it, bouncing back and blinking owlishly, before simply turning and walking away.

He swapped back to the lobby camera, catching sight of Glynda. Her shining emerald eyes flickered up to it and her hand glowed purple, before she waved it almost dismissively towards the camera, causing the picture to vanish and become static. He flinched as he heard an abrupt thud on the right door, which turned out to be thanks to Velvet. Swapping to the maintenance panel he grimaced at the sight of his low power, close to 30%.

Unlocking the left door while keeping the right door shut encase of sudden attack (read; Velvet), he remained alert and vigilant, not desiring to get caught a second time after his narrow escape at the hands of Neo. He flicked through the cameras tensely as he waited for the hellish night to end, keeping note of the locations of all the girls.

His attention was grabbed as glass shattered before him, his tense form tensing up even more before relaxing as he caught sight of Neo. The multi-coloured girl took a seat on his desk (thankfully not on the screws), but what caught his eye the most was her appearance. There was dozens of small tears in her clothing, exposing her pale skin that had been bruised or bore painful red gashes, some of them bleeding. Her hair was slightly frazzled and she had a swiftly forming bruise on her wrist, rapidly turning an ugly shade of purple.

''Neo...?'' He spoke up tentatively.

The tri-coloured girl cocked her head questioningly.

''Are you alright?'' He asked, gesturing at her state.

She paused for a moment, making a show of looking down at herself before shrugging, waving her hand dismissively.

''You sure? Because you don't _look_ alright.'' He replied, prompting Neo to silently sigh and just wave dismissively again.

He frowned, speaking up, ''Did Ruby do this?''

She silently snorted, shaking her head almost amusedly.

''Then who?'' He persisted, only to get another dismissive wave from the tri-coloured girl.

Sighing in slight annoyance he turned his attention back onto the cameras, the lobby camera still inactive from whatever Glynda pulled. Checking the hallway cameras first, he found both halls empty, allowing him to keep both doors open. That allowance was swiftly taken back as Nora came bolting out of the bathroom, rushing like a bull towards the left hall. He closed it a few seconds before she rammed into it, this time trying to shoulder-bash it before walking away. His eyes were immediately drawn to the right hall and he paled at the sight of the approaching Yang, her eyes a bleeding crimson colour and her hair... glowing?

 _'Nope.'_ He thought with a shaky laugh, closing that door shut instantly. Neo gave him an odd look, but he didn't care.

That shaky laugh vanished as the blonde began slamming her fists against the doors, each impact causing him to flinch. The blonde hammered repeatedly against the metal door, before grumbling something inaudible before storming away angrily. His watch beeped over to five, causing him to flinch again but also reminding him it was almost over. Without delay he opened both doors to conserve power, turning his gaze onto Neo as questions came to mind.

''By the way, do you know what's in the box? The one in the steam tunnel?''

Neo blinked once, twice, thrice, before shaking her head.

He clicked his tongue, grimacing as he closed the left door to prevent the twitching form of Pyrrha in.

Ignoring her incessant whispering, he asked, ''Well do you know what the code could be, or where I can find it?''

Another shake of the head.

''Dammit.'' He grumbled, massaging the bridge of his nose. The heavy stomping of Pyrrha leaving notified him of her exit, allowing him to open the door once more, though the threat of Velvet in the right hall prevented him from opening that door. A quick check at his power alerted him he had just dipped below 16%, getting uncomfortably close to zero power.

As Ruby came down the right hall and ran into the door, a thought crossed his mind. Why hadn't they gotten out of their programming yet? All prior nights at least one of them, sans Neo and Coco, had broken out of their supposed programming, regardless of the fact it got later and later, they still broke out in the end. Tonight, sans Coco and Neo, none of them had broken out. The only reason he had even noticed was because nobody had come to greet him, something he felt slightly ashamed of for not spotting earlier.

His attention was brought to Neo, as the petite girl hopped off his desk and jerked a thumb towards the door, indicating she needed to be leaving. Giving a small smile and nod in response, he watched her stroll out of the room casually before shattering into glass shards, scattering and fading. The sound of Ruby leaving drew his attention, and after checking that Velvet was gone he opened the door. Other than the humming sound of the bulb overhead and the ventilation, he was left in silence.

That silence was broken by the sound of sharp footsteps approaching him, causing him to tense up and check the cameras. He relaxed at the sight of Coco slowly approaching his right door, passing by the doorframe a moment later. Her face was set into a mask of seriousness, but he could see something else in her eyes, something he couldn't quite pin down. Worry? Hope? Fear? Something along those lines.

''I'm not supposed to tell you much.'' Coco started in a slow drawl, ''The whole 'bad things happen' shit-show a testament to that, but...''

She paused, seemingly looking for the words before continuing, ''I'm not sure. Maybe it's because you're actually doing half-decent, but I may as well throw my bets on you.''

He quirked a brow, silently gesturing for her to continue.

''Be careful tomorrow, it'll be... _different_ than what you'd expect.'' She said carefully, ''Be quick, and don't lose hope, blondie.''

Without another word she spun on her heel, and left.

He stared at the spot she stood at, a frown crossing his face as he took in her words. She hadn't really told him _anything_ aside from that tomorrow would be 'different' and to 'be quick', though that could mean practically anything. He knew there must've been a deeper meaning to her words, but no matter how hard he thought the possible meanings eluded him. It was the harsh beeping of his watch ticking over to six that brought him out of his thoughts, the prior time having all but bled away faster than he realised.

Humming to himself, he gathered up his tablet and flashlight and slowly made his way towards the exit doors, which were now slowly swinging open, letting the morning light creep into the lobby like a beam of golden light. There were no notes lying about, whether the strange old yellow ones or the pristine ones Weiss used to write, past tense given her new... _state_. The very thought saddened him, but he pushed such thoughts aside for now. Tomorrow, or rather when he woke up later today, he would prepare. It was the least he could, or rather the only thing he could do.

As he left he building he was hit by a cooling breeze, a sigh of relief escaping him as the hot atmosphere of the building was washed away like dust. It also made him realise how tired he felt, his form slouching slightly. He was about to continue walking when something... abrupt caught his attention. Namely, a piece of A4 paper, fresh and new like it had been torn straight from a notepad. It was held in place by several rocks, clearly positioned in such a manner than he would see it and preventing it from being blown away.

Bending down and picking it up, a frown crossed his face at what was said.

 _Do you believe in ghosts? They say they have an aura of mystery about them._

* * *

 **A/N: Phew! FINALLY!**

 **I got like 3k-4k down all today (27th-28th, midnight right now). I had a sudden burst and was like, meh, I got tomorrow off, who cares if I sleep in a bit. But seriously, the first part of this story just _did not work_ for me. No idea why, it bothered me for so long and still does.**

 **Regardless, apologises for this taking so long, as briefly mentioned in the top AN, work has been intense recently thus I didn't have much time to spend on writing, and that was if my muse was working at the time. However, while I am still angry at my mouse (evil little thing), I am relatively satisfied with how it turned out. A few parts seem clunky to me, but I can't find a better way to portray it and I don't want to delay it another few days just to change a sentence or two when the meaning remains the same.**

 **Regardless(new favourite word)! Only two more chapters after this one; Interlude 4 and Night 7. A few subtle hints about, and a few of you in the reviews have gotten close if not hit the nail on the head with certain situations, but often some of you get some of it right, and some of it wrong ;)**

 **Still, thank you to all who reviewed, you truly make my day and it's interesting to read your theories about what's going on (and gives me a reason to laugh evilly).**

 **See you guys next time in Interlude 4!**


	11. Interlude Four

**A/N: Got this one out quite quickly actually. I meant to post this 2 days ago but forgot about it, hehe... regardless, I haven't started on the final chapter, but I do hope this interlude will hint at more than a few answers. I'll try and get Night 7 out as soon as I can, but should it take longer than a week, I should warn you not to be surprised (in other words; it might take awhile).**

 **Also, to Vanitas50...**

 **;)**

 **I DO NOT OWN RWBY**

* * *

 _ **Interlude 4**_

* * *

 _'My family will know, huh?'_

Jaune stood within one of the many residential streets in Vale, his cobalt eyes solemn as he stared at the building ahead of him. Even after the clean-up crew had come and tidied the place up it still looked hollow and worn. The scorched walls had been repainted a dull shade of blue and the destroyed parts of the house fixed, though the overgrown garden and faded paint on the fence clearly indicated nobody lived here. It wasn't up for sale though, so that probably played a factor into it. Why, he wasn't sure, but he wasn't keen on it being sold either.

Fiddling with the old key in his pocket, he reluctantly approached the building of his former home, now host to many nightmares. It was lucky he was even allowed to keep a key, though he presumed it was for psychological reasons opposed to practical reasons. His feet gently crushed various weed and plants as he crossed the garden, cutting a path straight through the miniature forest and to the front door, which was in a slightly worse condition, with the white paint applied rather amateurishly and chips present on the corners.

The key fitted inside the lock without much resistance, a heavy clunk coming from the door as he unlocked it, followed by an eerie groan as he pushed the door open. He was instantly hit by the scent of dull, old air. He grimaced and backed up, letting fresh air sweep into the house for a few minutes before hesitantly entering, covering his nose and mouth with his hand. The inside of the house had been cleared up as well but clearly not to the same standard. The wallpapers was completely gone, revealing the walls beneath that still held marks on them, scorch marks or otherwise. The carpet was gone too, revealing the murky and old floorboards, several which were more recent than others, indicating some had been replaced after the... _incident_.

Shaking his head to dispel the thoughts he began searching around rather aimlessly, looking around the hollowed remnant of his former home. Most of the furniture and items had been lost in the fire - no surprise there - and thus left the house almost completely barren. It was a surprise that no squatters had decided to take up residence here in the time since it's abandonment.

Reaching the stairs he began walking up them, the old wood groaning under him as he walked. The dead smell in the air only got worse as he reached the second floor, the refreshing breeze struggling to wade it's way through the thick stench upstairs. The hallway was dimly lit, illuminated only by the golden streams of sunlight through the clouded windows at the end of the hall. Peeking through one of the doors that belonged to his sister he swiftly closed it, the smell almost unbearable, probably from the lack of air given that room had only a small window, and that was obviously closed like all the others.

He made his way through the other rooms, peeking inside briefly before closing the doors immediately, the smell of dead air too strong for him to bear. Finally he reached his own room, peeking inside... only to be hit by the smell of fresh air. He paused before slowly pushing the door open, peeking further around the door to see the room. Like the others it could barely be called habitable, what with all the lightly singed wood and poor paint jobs. Very few objects survived the fire, namely a dresser, an old closet and a simple desk table where he avidly used to draw or read when he was younger.

However his eyes widened at the sight of something that _shouldn't be there_.

An old, crumbling yellow piece of paper.

He remained frozen for several long minutes, simply staring at the note as if it was an illusion, a trick of the light, but no such thing existed. With thick hesitation he moved forwards, every step reluctant and forced. When he reached the note he stared at it for a few moments, before slowly reaching towards it and picking it up, the rough paper flaking in his grasp like wafer.

 ** _There is no escape_**

He wasn't sure what overcame him in that moment, but before he even realised it he had dropped the note and was speed walking out of the building, his heart racing and fear dancing along his spine.

He left so quickly he didn't spot the grinning figure peeking out of the closet, heavy panting visible as crimson dripped from it's claws.

* * *

''Here's your order, sir.''

''T-Thank you...'' He mumbled, half-heartedly taking his change and cup of coffee from the cashier as he left the cosy little café, his steps quick.

He wasn't even at the school and yet his nerves were already all over the place, a creeping sense of paranoia consistently overtaking him. Small details he hadn't noticed before kept popping up to him, such as the fact he _swore_ on his life he saw the same black-haired girl several times already, that how he had seen Weiss on signs or posters, how he overheard some businessmen talking about Pyrrha. It was almost nauseating and he wouldn't be surprised if he was hallucinating or delusional. None of it was making sense.

So here was, leaning against the wall of the hospital his sister resided in drinking a coffee in a feeble attempt to calm his nerves. It was miniscule, but the paranoid feeling slowly declined as he watch people go about the evening commute, his throat burning from the hot drink he was carelessly chugging back. He didn't care, at least it gave him something else to focus on.

He took another sip, only to realise that it was empty, a disappointed scowl crossing his face before he dumped the to-go cup in the trashcan. Stuffing his hands into his pockets he made his way inside, almost casually going through the usual routine to get access into the ICU to see his sister. He greeted the receptionist - Nurse Adel, he briefly remembered - and signed his name in, then he was off. It was oddly busy for that time of day considering there hadn't been anything major on the news when he woke up earlier. Maybe a car crash or something _normal_ like that.

As he moved past a bunch of doctors wheeling a bleeding blonde girl on a gurney, he rapped his knuckles on the door and waited for a few moments, barely hearing the 'come in' over all the activity around him. Ducking inside the room he was greeted to the adorable sight of Hazel hugging a small but cute wolf plushy. Her cobalt eyes holding the boundless excitement and innocent eagerness that only a child could possess. He took no small amount of pleasure at seeing her eyes widen in glee when he pulled out a chocolate bar, tossing it onto her lap only for her to snatch it out of the air. By the time he took a seat by her side, she had already ripped the packet off and was halfway through eating the first few chunks.

''Gee, slow it down sis.'' He joked lightly, poking her side.

Hazel obliged, fixing him with a cute pout, ''But it's _so_ tasty~''

''Then eat it slowly.'' He rebutted with a chuckle, getting a quiet hum from his sister as she went with his suggestion. Reluctantly.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, their attention drifting to the TV on the wall as it played some strange cartoon about rabbits and cereal. However soon it became apparent Hazel had something on her mind, if the miniscule twitching in her hands were any indication; a tell-tale sign that something was bothering her. He voiced this, and got a response that was equal parts expected and unexpected.

''I'm scared, Jaune.''

He frowned, shuffling a little closer to her, ''What about?''

''The... thing that attacked the other day.'' She shivered, making him instinctively wrap an arm around her, which helped if the grateful look she shot him meant anything, ''I... I could hear the _screams_ and... a-and...''

She clenched her eyes tightly shut and he didn't probe, instead silently embracing her and rubbing her back. It did little to calm her at first, but after a few minutes she slowly pulled out of the embrace, her expression still scared but marginally less so than before. Out of all the things he had been thinking about, Hazel had been one of the last on his mind, something that was painful to even consider. The others at the school had taken priority, and he hadn't thought about what it could've meant for Hazel.

She may have not been hurt, but the sounds of the attacker _killing_ other people just hallways away in the middle of the night was a scary enough thought. For someone who was paralysed below the waist and thus unable to run away or hide... it must've been frightening beyond all words to her, unable to do anything but lay in her bed hoping, _praying_ they didn't stop at her room. The mere thought of her in that situation made his heart clench and his lips draw into a thin line.

''Well they're gone now, and the police have probably caught them, so you don't have to worry.'' He tried to assure her.

Instead Hazel just shook her head.

''No, you don't understand... they were... _evil_. T-They were something out of a nightmare...'' She shuddered, ''Their eye was _glowing_.''

''It must've just been the light.'' He soothed her, ignoring the fear threatening to lace his body. Could one of the girls have escaped? Could they be responsible for this? And if so, why? What benefit do they have to gain for attacking random civilians-

He froze as his mind realised something she just said.

''Hazel...'' He said softly, ''Did you... _see it_?''

A single, shaken nod.

''I-It came by my room... it didn't enter, but it looked through the crack in the blinds...'' She explained nervously, half-heartedly gesturing to the wall that connected to the hallway, where the walls were replaced with glass windows with blinds to hide the room from view.

Hazel attempted to say something else, but it drifted off into a mumble, which transitioned into quiet sobs of fear. He held onto her as she shook in his arms, providing whatever measure of comfort he could to his only remaining family. Time seemed to fly by as he consoled her sister, thankfully uninterrupted by the staff of the hospital, though that was more likely because of the apparent influx of patients.

However, it all had to end at some point. He still had one last stop before work.

With the sun dipping behind the horizon, he let out a sigh as he stroked Hazel's hair like one would a cat, ''I need to go, Hazel.''

In response, her grasp on his clothes clutched tighter.

''Hazel...'' He sighed a second time, ''Should I get a nurse to keep you company? What's her name?''

''Miss Scarlatina?'' Hazel murmured with a nod, ''O-Okay... but come back as soon as possible!''

He chuckled dryly, ''I always do, sis.''

She smiled faintly at his remark, reluctantly letting go of his clothes. He planted a kiss on her forehead and messed up her hair for good measure, getting a childish pout in return. As he exited the room he was greeted by the sound of avid activity of the hospital, and he was about ready to continue on his way to the exit had someone not got in his way, clearly intentionally.

It was the black-haired young woman that he had seen during the day.

''Apologies.'' She said before moving on, blending in with the crowd. She must be a patient, if the injuries she bore were any indication. Now that he thought about it, she could probably pass as Cinder's sister. Both had black hair, both had a similar physique, and both had alluring eyes that almost seemed to glow.

Shaking that train of thought off, he made his way towards the exit, only for something sitting on a nearby empty gurney to catch his eye, and make him freeze on the spot.

Another yellow note.

 ** _Fall like those before you_**

Distantly, above the clamour of the halls, he heard something in the overhead ventilations move.

He didn't stop to ponder the meaning of the message, and just fled.

* * *

 _'If I survive all this... I swear... to exercise more...'_

That was the general mantra he had been repeated the entire way from the hospital, leading up to his current and last destination, the cemetery. The place was eerily quiet, unsurprising given the time, and was poorly lit by intermediate street lights positioned throughout the place, casting long eerie shadows compared to those in the utility tunnel, bending and twisting as you walked. Well walk was a strong term compared to the tired stumble he moved at, thoroughly exhausted from his run.

''Seriously... if this was a slasher movie, I'd be dead in five minutes flat...'' He sighed to himself, straightening up as best as he could before approaching the spot of his family's grave.

Crouching down in front of it, he tried to greet them... but no words came. Maybe it was because he just wasn't in the mood, or maybe because he was out of breath, but the words just didn't come to mind. Instead he just offered a small smile to the grave, before settling on the task of searching for the potential code.

It didn't take long to draw the only visible conclusion, and he hoped deep down it wasn't that.

''Their ages...'' He murmured.

''Hm? Hello again, young man.''

He jumped, his eyes darting to the side, widening slightly in surprise at seeing the sight of the same woman from the other night there, long white cloak falling around her.

''A-Ah, hello.'' He smiled awkwardly.

The older woman gave a kind smile in return, before it slipped into a frown, ''Is something troubling you? People don't tend to visit graves unless they feel troubled, after all.''

''It's nothing much.'' He dismissed as casually as he could, ''I found my... uh... grandfather's lockbox the other day and he had a code for it.''

The Ruby look-a-like tilted her head curiously, ''Oh?''

''Yeah, I think it might be their ages is the code.'' He added, feeling strangely confident in his own words. Maybe it was just good to let them out in the open?

''Hm...'' The woman hummed, a smile dancing across her lips, ''Well then I wish you luck in that, though I do recommend getting home, it's getting quite late out after all.''

Hazel's words came back to him. He shuddered at the thought.

''Y-Yeah, you're right.'' He nodded, standing up and beginning a light jog towards the exit, calling out over his shoulder, ''Thanks for the help!''

''You're welcome!'' She called back, watching him go.

As Jaune left the cemetery, the cloaked woman smiled sombrely to herself, _'Survive the nightmare, Jaune Arc, to escape the dream.'_

Wordlessly the woman turned and walked away...

...before fading into nothingness, dust in the wind.

* * *

 **A/N: I had about 400 words of this done, then I got the rest of it done in one single go, and feel quite cheerful about that. Time for sleep though.**

 **More than a few hints present, some obvious and some subtle. Thanks to all those who reviewed, as always, it's always delightful to see the theories and guesses.**

 **Until next time on the final chapter: Night 7!**

 **Whether fate will be kind or not, however, is unknown.**

 **;)**


	12. Night Seven

**A/N: Why did this take so long? Two words; Dark Souls. Good news; I am now a relative pro at the game. Bad news; I now absolutely despise anything relative to snakes or crystals *cough* Duke's Archives *cough*.**

 **Regardless, enough complaining from me. Last chapter here and I hope it lives up to your expectations.**

 **(Long A/N at the bottom, just a heads up!)**

 **I DO NOT OWN RWBY**

* * *

 _ **Night 7**_

* * *

 _'Last day of the week...'_

That foreboding thought was the sole thing that rattled around in his head as the large metal doors creaked open in front of him. The ominous howling of the wind behind him didn't help either. He stood in the doorway silently, trying and failing to draw up even dredges of courage. After a few anxious minutes, he released a deep sigh and walked inside, feeling as if he was making the dumbest decision of his life. Still, he shoved down the anxiety as best he could. Now wasn't the time to get scared, not with so much on the line.

His life being one of them.

He paused when he reached the middle of the lobby, a frown working it's way onto his face as he glanced around. Should he go to the tunnel _now_ and try the box? The 'animatronics' didn't usually activate for at least half a minute, so he had a small window of time. After pondering on it for a few moments, he shook his head, reluctantly turning away from Hall B and walking towards his office. The chance of getting caught by Penny was none too appealing.

Upon reaching his office he gingerly sat down into his chair, leaning back and preparing himself for the undoubtedly chaotic night ahead. He waited in silence for a few moments, listening to the muffled howls of the wind outside the building before slowly bringing his tablet up to view. The lobby was clear, as were all the hallways. After waiting a few more moments of silence the smallest of frowns crossed his face, the silence weighing on him more than he'd like to admit. Swapping to Nora's camera, his whole form tensed up as he saw the problem.

Or rather; the _lack_ of the problem.

Nora was missing. He didn't hear her slam the door open like all the other nights. He swiftly flicked through as many camera's as possible, starting from the ones close to him and spreading out. It was during the search he noticed another frightening fact.

 _All_ of them were missing.

Not a single one of the girls were present. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Coco, Velvet, Pyrrha, Nora, Penny, they were all gone. The only ones that potentially could still be present were Neo and Glynda, the former could be anywhere - _literally_ \- while Glynda was possibly still behind the closed elevator doors. Regardless, the others only had two rooms where they could possibly be hiding; bathroom and the library. They were the only rooms without cameras after all.

 _'Something's going on...'_ He grimaced, but nevertheless got to his feet. No choice but to investigate.

Creeping along the hallway was more daunting than before, mainly because he had no idea where the others were. He didn't bother hiding behind the boxes, instead moving as fast as he could get away with towards the bathroom. The door was completely still and after listening for any breathing or noise on the other side, he reluctantly pushed it open, flashlight flickering around the room. It was the same as it had been all the other nights, not a single sign anybody had been in here.

Slowly he crept inside, pushing each and every stall door open, a relieved sigh escaping him when he found nothing. He wasn't sure if all of them would be able to fit in there, but after seeing the things he had seen, he wouldn't be surprised. Once the barely illuminated room was cleared he hesitantly left back into the stuffy hallway, only getting unpleasantly warmer as he walked back into the lobby. He paused briefly by the elevator door to see if he could hear Glynda behind it, but heard nothing, so continued onwards to the library.

The wooden doors were frigid cold, yet he pushed on, an uneasy feeling building in his stomach at the memory of what happened last time. Only this time it didn't look like Coco would be able to help him. Steadying himself for the inevitable encounter, he strolled into the room, casting his gaze around him. Nobody, though that didn't mean they weren't hiding behind the bookshelves. Still there was something at the other end of the room that caught his eye, undoubtedly a trap but he didn't have an alternative.

The ethereal chill in the room was a stark comparison to the lobby, even though the source of the cold wasn't apparent. The silence present was more ominous than deafening, with the soft jingling of the chandelier overhead and the creaking of the floor beneath him the only sounds to disturb the stillness. He came to a stop in front of the table where he found the photo, although this time it was something more... normal, if still strange.

A chess board, with all thirty-two chess pieces perfectly lined up.

But it was the colours that caught his attention; murky green and dark red.

The colours, while unusual, were not the strangest combo he had seen. What was the strange thing was that they weren't even. The red side was completely full, whilst the green side only had a green King, a sole Knight and two Pawns. All the others that were supposedly green pieces were dyed red, the faintest hints of green buried beneath the baleful crimson. He knew it must be symbolic for something, but any guesses came up short.

He was drawn from his thoughts as the horrific, ear-shattering _wail_ suddenly pierced through the silence like nails on a chalkboard, startling him. It was far from a bestial roar or a childish scream, but a hoarse throat wail of sorrow. He could practically _feel_ the sadness in the voice. To his further surprise the whole building trembled, shuddering as the unearthly wail reverberated throughout the structure with such unrivalled intensity. The sound of rattling chains echoed throughout the room, barley audible over the sorrowful cries, before the wail reached a crescendo and the deafening _snap_ of chains shattering echoed... then silence.

A silence that was quickly broken by the awful tearing of metal, eerily similar to that of the elevator doors being prised asunder. He stood like a deer in the headlights as he heard movement in the lobby, almost _instantly_ bursting through the wooden doors of the library, landing on three limbs and facing towards him. The lighting was poor, but even without his flashlight he could make out it's features with startling clarity.

Yet that terrified him all the more.

She was human, or at least used to be. The off-white blouse was worn and the brown vest she wore had several tears and cuts in it. The brown pants she had were in slightly better shape but still had a few holes, revealing her dark skin underneath. It was her face that was the most eye-catching, yet terrifying. Her round face held facial scarring, possibly from fire, but half of it was hidden behind a monstrous mask of bone that covered half of her face. The ivory mask held a crimson eye within it, glowing and glaring at him with a malicious, ravenous hunger. Her other eye was a gentle caramel brown, yet even that still held evil intent, her straight-brushed brown hair doing nothing to hide her frightening eyes.

Her lips pulled back into an animalistic snarl, maddened glee in her eyes as she spoke in a hoarse voice, **_''Finally...!''_**

A low, deranged chuckle escaped her lips, **_''NOw... DIE!''_**

Without further warning she abruptly _launched_ towards him with all the speed of a frenzied cheetah, covering half of the room in a single second. He did the only thing he could and threw himself to the side, feeling the half-masked woman go flying past and crashing into the table and kicking up a cloud of dust. He scrambled to his feet, stumbling away from the cloud as he heard her growl in irritation, a chair leg going flying out of the dust and smacking against a bookshelf, knocking it over with the force.

He didn't wait for the bestial woman to show herself, instead turning and bolting out of the library as fast as his legs could carry him. As he sprinted towards his office he heard the woman stop for a moment, before a feral growl escaped her and her fast footfalls quickly came after him. He didn't bother sitting down when he reached his office, instead slamming the door button and grinning weakly when he heard her slam into it. That grin fell as she began slamming her fists into the metal, each hit leaving noticeable dents in the door.

He yelped in fright as her fist _came through the door_ , a scant foot away from striking him in the knee. The fist quickly retracted, a crimson eye appearing in the hole as it glared at him darkly, sending shivers up his spine. The moment the eye left he bolted out the right door, closing it behind him just to be sure and running for the cafeteria. He had barely gotten through Hall B when he heard the thunderous footsteps chasing him.

 ** _''I can hear you~!''_** Came the sickly-sweet maniacal call.

He quickly ducked inside the kitchen, stilling the door with his hand before ducking low, hiding behind the counters. The unnamed woman came barrelling into the cafeteria, her frenzied and aggressive searching clearly audible as she smashed tables. He flinched as she let out an angry, bestial cry followed by more smashing.

He couldn't stay here, that much was clear.

Pulling up his tablet, he hastily glanced at the cafeteria camera, finding her near the other end of the hall smashing tables furiously, her back turned to Hall B and giving him a clear, if temporary escape route. Without delay he carefully got to his feet and pushed the door open as quickly as he dared, keeping her prior words in mind about her hearing him. The sounds of shattering wood was clearly audible as he crept over to the hallway, fighting the urge to look at what the she-devil was doing lest he panic at the sight.

For once luck was on his side, as the she-devil gave no indication she heard him creeping away down the hallway. He briefly contemplated going into the bathroom or utility tunnel, but dismissed it immediately; there was little places to hide and no way out. After a moment of deliberation he moved towards the office, faint curiosity building within him at the state of the room. When he reached it, he stilled at the sight of the doors, a large hole in the centre of them, not unlike a cannonball had penetrated through both of them. Considering the damage that the rampaging beast was doing in the cafeteria, it wasn't far off.

Swiftly turning on his heel he moved as fast as he dared back into the lobby.

Only to freeze.

The lobby felt unnaturally cold, a stark contrast to the unusual hot and stuffy atmosphere that stuck to the room like a plague. Standing in a perfectly spaced-out circle was the others. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Pyrrha, Nora, Coco, Velvet, Glynda, Neo all stood rigidly still, completely unmoving like statues as they stared straight ahead, with Ruby being the closest to him and Nora by the elevator. What chilled him to the bone was the white bone masks that were situated on their faces, the horizontal slits for eyes filled with nothing but black emptiness.

Each of them had a different design, he noted dimly as he approached the group warily. Ruby's had a rose head over one eye, the stem curling down the side of the mask and ending at the chin. Weiss had two snowflakes over each eye, a teal curve where her mouth should be. Blake had twin streams of purple leaking from the eyes, running down like tear tracks. Yang had a flame where her mouth should be, dull orange in colour. Pyrrha had streaks of crimson coming from the corners of her eyes like eyeliner, a broken spear where her mouth should be, like a frown. Nora had a storm cloud on the forehead, something akin to lightning bolts dotted across her mask in a dim yellow colour.

Coco had a targeting reticule over the right eye, gold in colour. Velvet had a brown heart on the middle of the mask, torn into pieces. Glynda had a broken purple crown on the forehead, fragments falling past the eyes. Neo, oddly enough, had half of her mask pink and the other half brown, divided down the middle by a thin streak of creamy white. All of them were motionless, and even after hesitantly poking them they didn't react. It was... discomforting.

''Hey... you guys there...?'' He whispered lowly to Ruby, wincing as he heard another echoing smash from the cafeteria. Those tables weren't infinite.

He got no response. Tentatively, he reached out to touch her mask, an uncomfortable sensation settling in his gut when his fingers grazed the very bone-like material. He gently tried to pull it off, but to his distress found that the mask didn't budge, nor did her frame. She was like a statue, unmoving and unmovable.

 _'Is this what they feared...?'_ He wondered, the dreadful thought entering his mind. Was this why they were hesitant to speak of certain topics? Was _this_ the punishment for such a thing? What... what even _was_ it?!

The echoing smash of another table, joined by an angry wail, snapped him from his frazzled thoughts, the jolt of fear that shot up his spine kicking him into action. With a last glance at Ruby he turned and moved swiftly towards the bedrooms, tracking up the right staircase as he heard it's thunderous footfalls echo before the sound of a door being kicked open reached his ears, either the bathroom or kitchen. He ignored it though, walking down the length of the hall and ducking inside the first door on the left, B2-2 if he recalled.

The moment he opened the door, he recognised it instantly. It was the room he had entered in on the second day here. The tally marks were the same as he recalled, the faint grooves in the walls, ceiling and floor identical. The stacks of boxes were unmoved, doing little to hide the numerous marks engraved on the room. Even now he didn't understand them, but he could make a few good guesses. It clearly wasn't the amount of days or how many guards, since there didn't seem to be any more tally marks. It couldn't be how many had... _died_ either, as he hadn't died yet.

The only thing that came to mind was whatever... _it_ was.

Perhaps it was whatever was going on in the lobby? How many times they'd adorned the bone masks? The more he thought about it, the more he realised how vague the tally's were, and the insurmountable amount of possibilities that they presented. With a reluctant sigh he pushed them from his mind, only for his breath to hitch as he heard another furious wailing roar, this time from the lobby. Without preamble he ducked behind a stack of boxes, hastily pulling nearby stacks of boxes to cover him on all sides.

He waited with baited breath as he heard the she-devil storm towards him, her feet stomping against the wooden stairs as she walked up towards him. There was a brief moment of silence, before the door was abruptly _slammed_ open and into the connecting wall, a quiet cracking sound coming from both the door and the wall. He didn't dare to even _breathe_ as he heard her surprisingly gentle footsteps carry her into the room, the only sound being her heavy animalistic breathing... before a frustrated growl escaped her lips and she left with much heavier, angry steps.

The sound of another slamming door indicated she was checking the door across the hall, B2-4 if he recalled correctly. He remained completely still even as she went down the hallway, checking the other two rooms and evidentially finding nothing. Another angry snarl echoed down the hall as she stormed past, her audible footfalls passing into the lobby before going up the other staircase. Only then did he trust himself to move, gently pushing the boxes away and creeping out into the hall. He hesitated however, uncertain on his next course of action. With the she-devil having cleared out all the rooms on this side, and about to clear out the left side, the amount of places he had the potential to hide was limited.

It was only so long until she narrowed down his hiding spots. If she didn't outright destroy them, that is.

After a moment of deliberation he ducked into the room across the hall, B2-4, just to make sure he hadn't missed anything. All he was met with was darkness, boxes and a few dusty old beds. When he checked the far left room, B2-1, he found it the same; desolate and lacking anything notable. When he crossed the hall into B2-3, the same room where RWBY usually resides, he _did_ find something... interesting, yet distressing.

A note.

Though the question came to mind; _who the hell wrote it?_

Swallowing his nerves, he gingerly picked up the thin piece of A4 paper, elegant writing scrawled across it.

 _Wake up, Jaune_

His brows furrowed at the message. Wake up? Wake up from what? This certainly wasn't a dream, as he vividly remembered going to bed and waking up. Even if it was a lucid dream then he would've woken up when he fell asleep, not continue to be in a dream. Could the notes be lying to him, trying to throw him off or confuse him? The possibility wasn't that farfetched, he had to admit.

He was abruptly broken from his thoughts as he heard another frustrated growl echo through the building, courtesy of the she-devil that was hunting him. Quickly stuffing the note in his pocket he stormed out into the hall, only to freeze up in instinctual terror as his cobalt eyes met caramel and glowing red. The she-devil stood at the stairs, an inordinately gleeful grin plastered across the revealed half of her face, the mask half seemingly curving upwards in a sickening grin.

He barely had any time to react before she had impossibly covered the distance in a heartbeat, her fist swinging towards him as if to knock his head from his shoulders. The fist only missed him by a hairs length, an invisible 'pull' dragging him to the side just in time. The moment the fist collided with the wall behind him a very large, imposing crack split across the length of it, one which he swore glowed crimson for the briefest of moments. The bestial woman reared her fist back, clearly intending to throw another terrifyingly strong punch.

So he did the only thing he could think of; he threw the tablet at her.

She seemed more surprised than anything, not reacting until the tablet struck her, stumbling back. It didn't hurt in the slightest, her mask unchipped and her sole brown eye blinking owlishly. He didn't delay, rushing past her at full speed, hearing her seemingly fumble in place for a moment before a very loud, _very_ angry snarl rumbled throughout the entire building, petrifying him with the sheer intensity of it. He didn't linger however, a flimsy plan forming in his mind as he sprinted towards the office.

By the time he reached the broken doors the monstrous woman had reached the lobby, less than a few seconds behind him. He didn't look back as he ducked inside without losing much momentum, hopping out the left door with a strange sense of fluidity. Shaking his head to dispel the thought, he carried on, running down the left hall as he heard the beast following him. The moment he reached the lobby he pulled a hard left, all but diving into the left corner of the room behind one of the small piles of boxes, turning his flashlight off at the same time.

The she-devil came rushing in, barely stopping to glance around for him before charging wantonly into the library, the angry snarl on her half-masked face nothing short of terrifying. He waited a moment, just to make sure she wouldn't come bursting out immediately, before he sighed in relief and checked at his watch. He froze in shock at the time displayed.

Twelve o'clock... for once time hadn't gone as fast as normal.

And _just_ when he needed it most!

Sighing deeply and with a hint of bitter frustration, he leaned back against the wall, only to blink in surprise at the hollow thud he got from it. Glancing behind him, his eyes widened as he took in the sight of a tall brown-wood door, slightly dusty and worn but still present nonetheless. A door he was certain was not there before.

 _'This is just getting ridiculous...'_ He couldn't help but think exasperatedly, feeling tired by the mere presence of the door, or all the events that had led up to meeting said door.

Likely the latter.

Pushing his disgruntled thoughts aside, he pushed himself to his feet, gently nudging aside the boxes so he could open it fully should it open towards him. It was rendered moot as the door slid open inwards, slowly revealing the room within. It was large, he noted as the door creaked open, something akin to a chalkboard present, dozens of old papers pinned to it with haphazard lines scattered across it, connecting them like some master plan. As the door opened fully, however, something entirely unexpected happened.

The world shifted.

Colours blurred together, twisted and turned in a nauseating display of chaos, making him dizzy within microseconds. He stumbled, uncertain whether he was even still on solid ground as the oddly new carpet twisted like it was flushed down a toilet. His vision abruptly snapped to black, blissfully saving him from the disturbing breakage of physics. However while his vision was gone, his hearing and sense of smell remained, evident as he heard the faint howls of the wind and the dust-soaked carpet drifting into his nose uncomfortably.

 _''This better work, you damn fool...''_

He froze up at the voice, grizzled and aged yet with a sharp tone. It struck a chord within him, like a distant memory struggling to resurface, a word on the tip of his tongue.

 _''It's the only choice we've got.''_

A second voice, quieter and more subdued; morose and despaired yet with a tinge of hope in it.

 _''If this doesn't work though...''_

 _''Then we're all dead?''_

 _''Likely... potentially... fuck it, as sure as the sky is blue.''_

 _''Well to be fair it's not always-''_

 _''You know what I meant, Tai.''_

That name... he swore he heard it somewhere before.

 _''Anyway, let's give it our best, eh you dusty old crow?''_

 _''I'm tempted to punch you right now.''_

No name... yet it still felt familiar, a nickname almost.

 _''Heh, you got nothing on your sister, even Sum had a better hit than your pansy ass.''_

 _''Then we better hope they keep that. Team STRQ ain't going down easy.''_

 _''Technically...''_

 _''Technically, shut it.''_

As the final words was said, the speakers devolved into petty bickering, their voices getting further and further away as he strained his ears to listen, but no matter what the voices faded away, before disappearing entirely. He was left in darkness for a few moments before his vision slowly returned to him. Blinking the dust from his eyes, he gently pushed himself up, swaying slightly before steadying himself with a hand on the wall. Despite his vision being fine, his head felt like it was going to implode.

What the hell had that been?

He shook his head, trying and failing to dispel the onslaught of questions that battered inside his skull, instead dragging himself over to the board. It displayed various worn and old pictures, many of which were indistinguishable. However several of them, to his mild worry, held photos of the others in the main room. Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Pyrrha to name a few of them. All of them had an 'X' over them in grim black marker, while several other indistinguishable photos had a circle instead, and one near the top of the board had an odd black question mark over it.

Several red lines connected them in seemingly random ways, no visible connection between the pictures. Reluctantly turning his gaze away from the worn photos and scrawls of faded writing, his eyes roamed over the room in it's entirety. It looked like a classroom, all things considered, probably a college one. Several rows with seats were present, all faded and worn but surprisingly lacking dust, as if it had been swept clean the moment he entered. Aside from that, the room was completely empty, though something that did catch his eye was the old and worn carpets. Strange.

The abrupt snarl that cut through the air jolted him back to reality, head snapping towards the door as he listened closely. The distant but resounding metallic smashes and chinking cracks came from the kitchen, no doubt assaulting the place like it was her archenemy. Swallowing his nerves he hastily exited the room, only to freeze at the sight before him. The lobby now lacked a carpet, revealing the rotten wood beneath it's formerly clean carpet. Engraved upon the rotten wood was a large circle, intricate designs forming a vertical eye across it.

What also caught his eye was the multiple notes that lay before each of the girls. Slowly walking around, he picked each of them up, hesitating to stay long in the open lobby with the creepy symbol. It felt like the eye was watching him, and he wasn't willing to take the chance that it was. Without delay he fled up the left staircase and hid in the room Nora started in, crouching behind a bed as he glanced at the notes.

 _''Crimson stains the heart, and blinds thy eyes.''_ Ruby.

 _''Cold like snow, and bitten by thy own frost.''_ Weiss.

 _''Shadows of deceit lie deep, and words penetrate the grave.''_ Blake.

 _''One who burns bright, does not burn for long.''_ Yang.

 _''To protect is to fall, and to shield is to die.''_ Pyrrha.

 _''Quick like thunder, swift comes the light.''_ Nora.

 _''To defy is to suffer, and to surrender is to die.''_ Coco.

 _''Broken bones will heal, but broken hearts can't mend.''_ Velvet.

 _''Shattered crowns hold no authority, and queens fall from grace.''_ Glynda.

 _''Silent words hold no weight, while light bodies are easy to bury.''_ Neo.

Fantastic, more cryptic crap.

Though there was one more.

 _''Wake up Jaune, we need you.''_

He found that last one with Ruby's, though the handwriting was different from the one on her and the other's pages. That meant that there was at least two people doing these pages, aside from Weiss or whoever did the old yellow notes. He doubted the she-devil was the one doing it, which only left... Penny. Where was she anyway? Still in the tunnel? It seemed odd for her to be separated from the others, unless it had something to do with that box.

However therein laid another problem; the utility tunnel was closed unless the power cut out, or he manually unlocked it from his tablet. The same tablet he threw at the she-devil. Holding back a sigh, he folded up the notes and shoved them in his pockets before creeping out of the room, finding the entire building to be oddly silent. Taking care to keep his footsteps as quiet as humanly possible he made his way to the lobby, finding discomfort in the eye-symbol seemingly glowing with the ashen smell of fire before continuing on.

Turns out, his tablet hadn't been taken or destroyed, thankfully. It was lying near the back of the hall, around the area where he threw it at the woman. Pausing to make sure he wasn't about to get sneaked up on, he knelt down and picked up the tablet-

-only for the door next to him to slam wide open.

He stumbled back in shock, narrowly avoiding getting a fist in the face. He barely managed to pull himself to his feet and take a step back, dilated eyes watching as the she-devil emerged from RWBY's room, grinning madly. His feet thudded against the ground as he turned and bolted away, crossing the length of the lobby towards the office. Ducking inside the right door, he didn't waste any time ducking through the left door to run into the hall.

Only to find the she-devil waiting for him.

 _'Crap!'_ He cursed in his head, ducking back inside the office, only to pause as he heard no footsteps.

His unasked question was answered a moment later, **_''Which wAy wIll you go?''_**

Cobalt eyes glanced up to the vent, but he grimaced as he noticed it was still screwed closed, and he doubted he had the time to unscrew it properly. How Blake had done it was a mystery. His eyes drifted to the two doors and the holes within them, a frown crossing his face as a stupid - _very_ stupid - plan came to mind. Keeping a tight grip on his tablet and flashlight, he poked his head out of the right door, glaring at the she-devil that waited at the end of the hall. For a few moments she seemed content to wait for him to try and run, then she started twitching, nails beginning to dig into the carpet as if restraining herself.

Then all hell broke loose as she abruptly began sprinting towards him. Taking a few steps back in the room until he was halfway out the left door, he waited for her to come charging in, and he didn't even have to wait more than two seconds. He could see the twisted glee in her eyes as she caught sight of him, an animalistic hunger in her glowing red eye. As she leapt through the threshold of the door however, that hunger turned to surprise as she found herself being lifted up, before being slammed into the roof.

It had been perfect timing, retracting the door just as she leapt through, and a second late would've rendered the attempt moot and his life forfeit. Now she was stuck up there like a pinned piñata, and he actually felt a little bad for her, given the metal was jagged and she had been _slammed_ into the roof, it probably hurt like hell. If she felt any pain, the she-devil didn't show it, instead angrily snarling at him and waving her arms in a futile attempt to hit him.

''I'm sorry.'' He murmured to her before fleeing out the door. This was his only chance, and he had a feeling that the door wouldn't hold her for long.

Unlocking the door from the maintenance panel on his tablet, he was about to run inside the gaping maw that led to the utility tunnel only to pause at the note laying in wait for him. After a moments deliberation he snatched the note from it's place on the floor and ducked inside, closing the large door behind him and leaving him in the tunnel alone. Using his flashlight, he barely managed to read the words faintly inscribed on the paper.

 _Light up the dark, Jaune_

...odd, but just as cryptic and unhelpful as the others. Stuffing it in his pocket with the rest of them, he crept down the length of the hall, a figure quickly becoming apparent even in the dim light, illuminated only by the red lights on the walls. Penny laid at the end of the hall, hovering above the ground and suspended by short of a dozen wires, each attached to a sword that impaled the walls. Several wires crossed over her body, one wrapped around her neck like a noose while two crossed over her torso, tightly wrapped around her. Her arms were also bound, her body held in a 'Y' position, not unlike a cross.

''Penny?'' He called out tentatively, only to gain silence. She didn't have a mask on like the others, but her eyes were wide open and void of life. It was then he saw another note at her feet, and didn't hesitate to pick it up.

 _The Jailer, imprisoned from the start._

So she was the 'Jailer' then? Well there's one of his many questions answered at least. Shaking that off, he crouched down to where the box was, finding it exactly the same as it had always been, awaiting a code to open it. This time he knew it though. 4547-2826-2623-2115-80, the ages of his family when they died. With the softest of click the box unlocked, allowing him to pull open the small box to reveal-

-a note.

It was old and worn, much more so than the other, as if handled without the utmost care it would crumble to dust. It was because of that he _did_ use the utmost care, placing it atop the box and shining the flashlight on it to read the words within.

 _Command Sequence; Jailer_

 _Cease Queen Override; confirmation code 4319_

 _Commence Enlightening Procedure; confirmation code 1015_

Codes? He assumed they were for Penny... but why codes of all things? He was far from a computer wizard; hell he could barely work a regular computer, but this seemed... unusual. Regardless, it was the only lead he had left, and there was only so long before the she-devil would be kicking the door down.

Reaching up, he gently began to untangle Penny from her wires, being extra careful with the ones around her neck and arms. The sword slid out of the wall surprisingly easy, but each time he pulled them out more of that tar-like liquid began to drip into the room, something he knew almost instinctively was simply _wrong_. Still he paid it no attention, instead laying the almost robotic girl on the ground.

Taking a deep breath, he began.

''Command Sequence; Jailer.''

Green eyes snapped open, focusing on him with startling intensity yet lacking any emotion. Despite the gaze, she made no move to hurt him, so he continued.

''Cease Queen Override-'' He paused as her green eyes dilated, a hint of red in them, ''Confirmation code 4319.''

Penny shuddered, her body seemingly closing in on itself for a worrying moment before returning to normal, blinking slowly as she looked towards him.

Then a genuine smile crossed her face, ''Hello Jaune!''

''Hey Penny.'' He smiled hesitantly, ''You feel alright?''

''Perfectly Perfect!'' Penny beamed happily.

A sharp, resounding thud drew their attention, followed by another, and another. He pulled up the camera and paled as he saw the she-devil outside in Hall B, wailing against the door with ferocious might, and actually making dents in the metal. Lowering the tablet he glanced at Penny, finding her troubled expression staring back at him.

Sighing, he spoke up, ''I need to try something, Penny.''

''What is it Jaune?'' The ginger-haired girl cocked her head to the side.

''Commence Enlightening Procedure; confirmation code 1015.'' He stated, watching as Penny stiffened slightly before nodding resolutely. She abruptly shot to her feet and silently gestured for him to follow, which he reluctantly did. With almost graceful gentleness she laid one hand on his shoulder and the other over his heart, completely ignoring the sound of groaning and snapping metal in the background. Then, she began speaking.

''For it is in passing that we achieve immortality.''

The metal door groaned weakly, much to his unease.

''Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above.''

With an echoing crash a hole was punched through the door, followed by the almost frantic she-devil that charged towards them.

''Infinite in distance and unbound by death.''

The half-masked woman covered half the length of the room in a heartbeat, her face a mix of fury and desperation.

''I release your soul.''

She leapt towards them, fist outstretched.

''And by my shoulder.''

Less than a foot away.

''I protect thee.''

Then everything was engulfed in white.

* * *

 _''All I'm saying is motion sickness is a much more common than people let on!''_

 _''Look I'm sorry, vomit-boy was the first thing that came to mind.''_

 _''Oh yeah? What if I called you crater-face?''_

 _''Hey that explosion was an accident!''_

 _''Well, the name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it!''_

 _''...Do they?''_

 _''They will! Well, I hope they will... I mean my mom always says that... never mind.''_

 _..._

 _''You know what else is great? Me, Jaune Arc, nice to meet you.''_

 _''You again?''_

 _''Yeah, yeah. So, Weiss! Couldn't help but overhear your fondness of me the other day there.''_

 _''Oh you've got to be kidding me.''_

 _''Don't worry, no need to be embarrassed.''_

 _''So, been hearin' rumours about teams! I was thinking you and me would make a good one. What do you say?''_

 _..._

 _''Hey wait! Come back! Who's gonna get me down from here?''_

 _''Jaune? Do you... have any spots left on your team?''_

 _''Very funny.''_

 _..._

 _''Jaune? Are you okay?''_

 _''Uh? Oh yeah! Why?''_

 _''It's just that you seem a little... not okay.''_

 _''Eh, guys, I'm fine... seriously, look!''_

 _''Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school.''_

 _''Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah, he just likes to mess around, you know? Practical jokes!''_

 _''He's a bully.''_

 _..._

 _''You know that wasn't very smart, Jaune-y boy. I'm gonna make sure they send you back to mommy in teeny, tiny, pieces.''_

 _''I don't care what you do to me. But you are **not** messing with my team.''_

 _''What? You think talk like that makes you tough? You think you're a big strong man now?''_

 _''Let's see how much of a man you really are...''_

 _..._

 _''Don't ever mess with my team, my... friends, ever again.''_

* * *

 _''You hear the plan, kid?''_

 _''...yeah.''_

 _''Don't sound too enthusiastic, do you?''_

 _''It's just... the others...''_

 _''Look, it's the only shot we've got, and unless you want us all to be trapped here in hell, you've gotta do it, nobody else can besides you two.''_

 _''...fine.''_

 _''That's the spirit, now get ready, it's almost time.''_

 _He didn't bother replying._

* * *

He remembered.

He remembered it all. Beacon, the Grimm, Cardin, the dance, the breach, the Vytal festival, the fall of Beacon and Vale, the death of Pyrrha, the journey to Mistral, and his escape from this prison. He recalled every last detail with startling clarity. Idle thoughts and lost dreams all made sense, forgotten faces had names attached to them, and his understanding bloomed. There was still unanswered questions, many in fact, but dozens had been answered in an instant.

He looked slowly around him, finding Penny panting lightly in front of him, sitting on the ground. Looking behind him, his eyes widened a fraction at the sight of the woman - _Amber_ , he recalled - laying on the ground unconscious, but lacking the half-mask that had previously nested on her face, no trace of it left behind.

As if re-awakening his Aura had erased it.

Shaking his head, he helped Penny back to her feet before picking up Amber, carefully holding her bridal style and walking towards the exit of the room. While it was still only illuminated by the dim red lights, the shadows no longer seemed alive, no longer ominous and looming. Maybe they were Grimm in disguise, though that seemed unlikely, given how useless they had been aside from making him nervous. Shaking that thought off, he ducked through the hole in the large door, being greeted by a lukewarm breeze.

''Jaune!''

Had he not been carrying Amber he was sure Ruby would've bowled him over in a hug, but that didn't stop her from wrapping her arms around him to an almost painful degree, utter joy in her eyes. The others were all also free, lacking the Grimm masks that clung to their faces and all bearing a smiles of varying sizes. Even Glynda was smiling, something he hadn't seen often, past and present. The floor was still bare with the rotten wood, but now lacked the creeping red symbol, which he only now realised had been made from Dust, probably Fire Dust.

His eyes drifted to Weiss as she stood before him, a small but beautiful smile on her face, ''I see you kept your promise.''

He couldn't stop the slight grin that came to his face, ''Of course, an Arc never goes back on their word.''

Weiss huffed and looked away, but the smile remained.

''If you're quite done...'' Coco cut in with an amused smile, ''We do still have to deal with one little problem before we've home-free.''

He wasn't sure what she meant initially, but then he remembered.

 _Cinder_.

As if the thought was the trigger he heard faint footsteps, sharp like heels against ground and coming from outside. Wordlessly Ruby and Weiss rushed into the bathroom, Blake and Yang ran up the right staircase, Nora and Pyrrha hid within the library, Velvet and Coco hid up the left staircase, Glynda swiftly walked down towards the office while Penny casually snatched Amber from his arms and ran into the cafeteria, hiding around the corner and beckoning for him to follow. Obeying, he jogged around the corner before pressing his back against the wall, straining his ears to listen.

There was silence for a few moments, before the metallic groan of the front doors echoed through the building. The sharp tapping of heels resounded through the walls, followed by two pair of softer footsteps. That was until the sound of something cutting flesh reached his ears, a choked gasp and a muffled scream. He remained perfectly still as he heard several thuds, slashes, metallic grinding and the sound of splintering wood. It carried on for just over a minute before everything fell silent once more.

Penny gestured to go ahead, nonchalantly skipping into Hall B with Amber in her arms. He followed after her, the others crawling out of their hiding spots, Neo being the only one still out in the open, splashes of red on her outfit. He ignored it though, instead taking in her smiling face, a few specks of crimson on her cheeks.

''It seems the _problem_ has been resolved!'' Penny cheerfully beamed, getting a few dark chuckles.

 _'Maybe being trapped here has messed with them a little...'_ He sweat-dropped at the evil smirk Yang wore, before she was bonked on the head by an exasperated Glynda that is.

''Well, let's leave this dingy old place, shall we?'' Glynda asked rhetorically, getting a cheer from Nora and Ruby as they ran outside like a pair of little kids. Chuckles spread throughout the group as they all walked outside into the morning sun, a gentle glow upon the horizon joined by a cool breeze that swept aside his fatigue. As they walked he found himself pondering, a multitude of questions coming to mind that he now, presumably, had a chance to ask.

''You have a question.''

He jumped lightly at Blake's voice, the black-haired girl walking next to him with her trademark stoic expression.

''Y-Yeah.'' He nodded, thinking over it for a moment before responding, ''How've you guys been? It's been... what? Two years since I got out?''

Blake nodded, ''Yeah. We've been... alright, for the most part...''

She hesitated, as did the others when he glanced around. As he did however, he noticed something amiss, something he hadn't noticed before. Namely, they were short a few people. Namely Qrow Branwen, Taiyang Xiao Long, Raven Branwen and the general James Ironwood. Frowning at Blake's uneasy expression, a knot formed in his stomach. He had never spoken with James Ironwood often, only once in fact, and even only held a few conversations with Qrow and Taiyang, but the lack of them was immensely worrying. He had never even seen Raven, only heard the others talking about her from time to time, but he couldn't help but worry about their pseudo-companion.

''What happened?'' He crossed his arms, putting on a stern face, or as stern as he could manage at least.

Glynda was the one to respond, sighing deeply, ''James, Qrow and Taiyang were, unfortunately, killed shortly after your departure, likely as a _punishment_ of sorts.''

''What about Raven?''

''She ran.'' Yang's chilly response surprised him, ''She managed to access her Semblance and create a portal, and ran. We haven't heard from her since.''

His frown deepened, but he said nothing, walking with them in silence before he found words for his other question.

''What happened when I was gone? Cinder had said you guys were _animatronics_ , which you clearly aren't... right?'' He asked slowly. He remembered waking up in that place with the others, being trapped within and unable to get out. Their Semblances even seemed to be blocked, with Neo being the only exception. However, when he was trapped with them there was no 'programming' or 'animatronics' or anything, not that he could remember at least.

''She was half-correct in that regard.'' Weiss cut in, a bitter look in her eyes, ''We hadn't realised it until a while after you left, mainly through coincidental experimentation and connecting the dots, but our bodies are not the same ones we had back... home, at Beacon. From what I can tell they're similar to the body Penny used to, and currently has.''

''It is indeed very human-like, but is in-fact 30% metal!'' Penny chirped.

''The programming we spoke of frequently is not programming per say, but instead we assume it's some kind of Grimm, perhaps the building itself.'' Weiss added, ''The main reason we were never able to speak is, if we did say something that would trigger it... the night itself would restart. The same happens if we were to damage the building.''

So that's what _'it'_ was. He could see why they had been unwelcome of it happening, even if he didn't understand _how_ it would happen. Time Manipulation was ridiculous, even for a Semblance.

''How'd _you_ and Coco stay... unpossessed for so long though?'' He asked.

''Willpower.'' Coco said with a touch of smugness, getting the stink eye from Blake and Yang.

He shook his head in amusement. That answered more than a few questions, not counting the realisation that abruptly dawned on him.

''Er... _how_ did we get here, again?''

* * *

 _He stood behind an alcove, watching as the group continued onward._

 _They would be fine, that he was certain of. Jaune would take care of them, should anything threaten them. Still, his heart hurt to see them from afar, and not among them._

 _But his job was not fulfilled, and the fate of the world took precedence over his selfish whims._

 _So with a steeled heart, he turned and walked away._

* * *

Yang was the one to shrug, ''Eh, I don't know.''

''It is assumed that the witch Salem is behind it.'' Glynda cut in, ''You are not aware of her, Jaune, due to myself and the other not revealing it at the time, but Salem is the presumed source of the Grimm, and also the reason why we were trapped within the boundaries of the building Grimm.''

...building Grimm? Wait, did that mean...

''Yeah... the building was a Grimm...'' Ruby awkwardly poked her fingers together, tilting her head to the side sheepishly, ''Surprise?''

''Well that explains a lot...'' He deadpanned. If nothing else, at least he wasn't eaten alive the moment he entered. ''By the way, who was the one leaving the notes, aside from Weiss that is.''

To his surprise, all of them showed confusion, the sole exception being Neo who poked a finger towards Amber with a flat expression. That... make some sense, he supposed. When he had been trapped with the others, Amber had been a quiet but kind individual but with a stubborn streak that put even Blake to shame. For it to have taken an active possession to break her stubborn will, he couldn't imagine what hell she felt inside her own mind. The fact that she might've, no, _was_ the one who left those old yellow notes... it was a true testament to her will.

Then something else occurred to him, as he withdrew the notes from earlier, the cryptic notes that he had found in front of everyone when they were in the lobby. ''What about these ones?''

The group all looked at them, though it was Glynda who spoke up, ''I... am unfamiliar with the writing style, so I can safely say it wasn't any of us who did it.''

That made him frown, ''So it was an outsider then?''

Glynda nodded silently, a thoughtful frown marring her own face.

''Eh, I'm sure it's nothing.'' Ruby smiled cheerfully, a smile he returned until another question came to mind.

''What about that weird eye thing on the floor earlier?''

''Oh that? That was Salem's symbol. Not sure what it did though.''

* * *

 _He walked down the street, the cool morning breeze releasing a hollow echo through the nigh-empty road. His thoughts occupied him heavily, consistently drifting back to the others as they so often did. It was for naught though, as he had a duty to complete._

 _He came to a stop outside of the building, the large factory-like building almost on the other end of Vale to the ruins of Beacon. The large snowflake on the side of it identified it as what it was._

 _The SDC; Schnee Development Company._

 _Wordlessly, he walked inside._

* * *

''Who was the one creeping in the vents, aside from Blake?'' He queried as they walked, the exit to the industrial district within sight.

''That would be Amber.'' Weiss replied crisply, sending the unconscious girl a glance, ''She didn't hurt you, did she?''

''Weiss!'' Ruby admonished, crossing her arms and pouting at the former heiress, ''Don't talk about her as if she isn't here.''

''She's unconscious, Ruby.'' Weiss said flatly.

He chuckled at their little argument, ''I'm fine. Scared half to death, but fine.''

''That's good.'' The heiress smiled lightly, before immediately looking away and glaring at a sniggering Yang.

''Now that I think about it, time didn't move forward at all...'' He murmured, looking to the others for answers.

Yang shrugged, ''Probably Salem's doing, if you ask me.''

''What about the tally marks in room B2-2? What were they supposed to be for?''

Pyrrha spoke up, ''Weiss was the one responsible for those, as a means to keep track of how many 'resets' had occurred.''

...now he felt like a bit of a dick for leaving them all back then.

''Um... guys...'' Velvet's shy voice cut in, brown eyes glancing at them all, ''What do we do now?''

''It's obvious, isn't it?'' Weiss responded crisply, ''We find out who gave us these bodies, and if they have any potential connection to Salem. Whatever she did, she managed to move us into an entirely new world and carry our memories... our _souls_ over. There's no telling what she could be planning.''

''Without our weapons we won't be able to do much fighting, especially since most of us still have our Semblances locked.'' Coco cut in irritably, before smirking, ''Though I do like a challenge.''

Glynda chuckled, murmuring something under her breath, so soft he almost missed it.

''This will be an interesting time, won't it... Ozpin?''

* * *

 _The stainless grey walls were equal parts ominous and uncaring. They reminded him of the machine in Atlas, pure efficiency over décor. The way his footsteps created distant echoes led him to believe the facility was much more expansive than he initially believed. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not._

 _Soon he reached his destination that the accountant had pointed him to. A rather easily missable door with the nameplate of the owner, the office door metal and a perfect white. He paused for a moment, gathering his wits before entering._

 _He would save them all, each and every one of them._

* * *

''Which one of you is the Warden, by the way?'' He asked, retrieving and showing them the note when asked. He found it slightly amusing none of them questioned why he was carrying a pocket full of notes, but he didn't point it out.

''That'd be Neo.'' Ruby chirped.

''And Amber the Prisoner?'' He guessed, getting a nod in return. He frowned lightly in thought, recalling the wails she had released when hunting him. So much sorrow and pain it was almost palpable, he pitied the young woman for having to endure what she did.

A thought occurred to him, ''Where _was_ Amber anyway? Last I remember, she was in one of the other rooms like the rest of you.''

''In the basement, chained up.'' Blake stated with no small amount of distaste.

No doubt due to the whole Faunus deal. Slavery was a terrible thing.

''Well, she's free now.'' Ruby, ever the optimist, smiled widely, ''All of us are.''

''You know what that means~'' Nora sang brightly, a massive grin on her face.

''Pancakes and Syrup~!''

''Strawberries and Cookies~!''

He didn't have the heart to deny them.

Weiss did though.

* * *

 _He sat down in the chair opposite the figure, making sure to keep his movements calm and relaxed, but with a hint of nervousness like many hopefuls in an interview. His mask was a perfect mix of stoicism and slight nervousness, his body shifting slightly as he sat just to be sure._

 _''Welcome, I'm glad you could make it.'' The figure greeted._

 _''Of course, I wouldn't dare be late.''_

 _The figure nodded, ''Good. I like that in my employees.''_

 _They folded their hands in front of them, leaning forwards slightly as graceful black hair fell forth. Her form-fitting red dress showed off her toned body, like a tempting seductress rather than an employer. He wasn't phased though, even as her cloth-covered arms moved with delicate slowness to present him with a small sheet of paper._

 _''This is a simple confirmation, due to you having already signed the necessary papers prior to arriving.'' She assured, to which he nodded and took the offered pen, writing down his agreement and the other legal nonsense. Once he was done she retrieved the paper, looking over it before nodding to herself, offering him a smile._

 _''Welcome aboard, Lie Ren.'' She smiled, sole golden eye glowing like molten magma, the other hidden beneath an eyepatch._

 _''Thank you, Cinder Fall.''_

* * *

Far above the ruins of Beacon Academy, two transparent figures stood on thin air, watching the small group of survivors nonchalantly leave the grounds of the industrial district, as if they hadn't escaped a very literal hell. One was clad in a dark green suit, with aging grey hair and light brown eyes, whilst the other wore an inky black robe with the palest pallor of skin possible, so close to snow it was ludicrous.

The woman clad in the robe hummed, watching the group go, ''So it seems your pawn did indeed escape, along with some of your other pieces.''

The man nodded slowly, ''Indeed, they will not give up easily, Salem.''

Salem smirked, ''They will fall in the end, you know this well, Ozpin.''

''I am doubtful.'' Ozpin replied stoically, ''They are more stubborn than even I.''

''And look where that got you.'' She shot back, causing his lips to turn downwards in displeasure.

''It matters not, they will put an end to your reign before it has begun.'' He declared, causing her smirk to lessen.

''Then it seems I must take a more active role in their undoing, hm?'' Salem asked rhetorically, waving her hand dismissively as a chess board appeared in front of her. One side was entirely made of red-pieces, whilst the other side was a mix of several.

A green King; Ozpin.

A green Queen; Glynda.

Two green Bishops; Velvet and Coco.

Two red Rooks; Taiyang and Ironwood.

One red Knight; Qrow.

One green Knight; Raven.

Eight green Pawns; Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha... and Ren.

''You may have regained your pieces, but do not forget I can easily eliminate them, _permanently_.'' Salem smirked once more, gesturing lazily to the Rooks and sole red Knight.

Ozpin's lips thinned, eyes sharpening into a glare, but said nothing.

''It is ironic, in a way. He has regained the ones he treasured in the old world, but has lost the last vestige of his loved ones in this world.'' She continued, ''Alone, and he won't even realise. Geist's are truly one of the more useful ones.''

''You speak as if you have already won, despite making moves.'' Ozpin cut in, ''I do recall that many of your own pieces are now gone.''

Salem lost her smirk entirely, a snarl taking it's place, ''Silence, you old fool. Do not get arrogant simply because of this little victory.''

''Perhaps I have the right to, given I freed two of your own pawns.'' He replied, pointing to her side of the board where two formerly red pawns now stood a dark green colour. Amber and Penny.

''Then I will be sure to take them back, and this time you will not be using that infuriating Semblance of yours to hasten their freedom, nor to display events of time gone past.'' She growled.

He stared back at her, silent.

Salem glared, ''Mark my words Ozpin, I shall see your precious subordinates fall, in this life or the next.''

Ozpin said nothing.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the two spectres in the sky, a third figure watched from a distance, standing atop a chimney.

The morning air was bitter, a feeling she hadn't had the pleasure of feeling in a while, the pleasant chill something she had longed for. Still, now was not the time to admire her new body, she had work to do, much like the others.

 _'Stay safe and lead them well, Jaune Arc.'_ The figure smiled enigmatically.

Turning on her heel she left, white petals floating where she had stood.

Thus kindly she scattered.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm so evil.**

 **There, ladies and gentlemen, is the ending. I hope it satisfied you, even though we're both aware I left loose threads there just to tease. This took a while to get down, with the latter half of the chapter all done today and the day prior.**

 **Lot's of little hints and hopefully surprising twists. So many of you were going with the coma deal or he died in the fire, but he didn't! The 'wake up' was referring to waking up his old self... though to be fair who the hell guesses that sort of thing. Symbolism and all that. Not many people actually guessed the code for the box, that being the ages of his family on the gravestones. Congrats to those who guessed it. Amber was also the one with caramel eyes, something I don't think anyone guessed (I think there was 1-2 reviewers who guessed it). Nobody at all though guessed that Jaune's grandfather's quote (the canon chant for unlocking Aura) would be used in future. A little twist I hope was a surprise!**

 **Funnily enough this is the first ending to a story I've done, all others I've either lost inspiration/motivation for or had complications that caused me to stop writing it. The fact my updates slowed to a crawl though for only a 12 chapter story is somewhat depressing, but it is complete nonetheless!**

 **This chapter was the longest so far, clocking in at just over 10k, which is a pleasing number.**

 **The romance in the story had been shoved aside a bit early, something not many seemed to mind and hopefully wasn't much of a downer. I kinda tripped on one of the earlier scenes with Ruby, the whole kiss thing a bit sudden and awkward in my opinion.**

 **Also, did any of you catch the sneaking little pun in there? EnLIGHTening procedure? Eh? Eh?**

 **I think that's all I have to say.**

 **Thank you to all who reviewed and supported the story, it does genuinely mean a lot both as a creative individual and as a person.**

 **Until next time~**


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